Havoc
by writingcreature
Summary: A sniper heading especially for cops isn't Don's only problem when he's asked to take care of a young woman and her little niece whose lives are in danger ... Not related to any shown eppesode COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **  
The characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. I just like to play along with the characters for the delight of the readers.

**Synopsis: **  
A sniper heading especially for cops isn't Don's only problem when he's asked to take care of a young woman and her little niece whose lives are in danger ... The story is not related to any shown eppesodes.

**Categorie:**  
Angst/Dark:

**Rating:**  
PG-13

_**Prologue**_

Don sat on the couch in his apartment. He wore a black suit with a white button down shirt. The tie dangled around his neck. He watched the last beams sent out by the setting sun. The dust shimmered and reminded him on sparkling little diamonds. Diamonds reminded him on the earrings he had given to Liz on one of her birthdays. Birthday reminded him on …

He swallowed. His service gun lay heavy in his hands. He rested his head on the backrest of the couch and stared at the ceiling. As a matter of fact Liz and he had been separated for quite some time. But when she came to his office a few weeks ago and asked for help he didn't feel this way.

It was like she had been away for just a minute or so. And now … she was gone forever. She had been buried three hours ago and yet it felt like ages. From the apartment next door he could hear music and laughter. Proving him that live was still going on no matter what.

He lifted his hand and pressed the gun against the side of his temple. He squeezed his eyes. An inner voice yelled: STOP! Why couldn't he simply pull the trigger? He brushed the barrel of the gun down his cheek and finally dropped his hand.

Everyone had assured him that Liz' death wasn't his fault. He was with her when the bullet of the sniper hit her and went through her bullet-proof vest like a hot knife through butter. He still remembered her eyes bulged in disbelief and was able to hear her gurgling, choking breaths. She was dead before her body touched the ground.

The ammunition was a special one also known as cop-killer. Yes, someone was out there on the streets and had found his destiny by erasing cops.

"You could have chosen me instead of her, bastard! Why didn't you?" Don clenched his teeth.

The lump in his throat took his breath away. Once more he pressed the gun against the side of his temple. Suddenly his beeper sounded.

"Should I stay or should I go now," the lyrics crossed his mind.

His mouth felt dry as the Nevada desert. Laughter and music mingled with the nerve racking sound of the beeper. His forefinger touched the trigger.

He broke out in sweat. He breathed heavily. Before he hit for the finale step, his mobile rang. The silly melody made this scenario kinda bizarre. Suddenly Don started to laugh. With a suffocated cry he put the gun aside. Whoever was on the phone he had to thank him or her for saving his life even if it was for just some more minutes … tbc

**Chapter 1**

"Eppes," his voice wasn't more than a croak.

"Jesus, Don you sound awful are you okay?" It was Megan and while she kept on talking he simply shut off.

_"Yes Megan I'm doing great. I was just about redecorating my apartment. I thought it needed a fresh and bright color preferred red with some cerebral matters in it. I guess it would look nice, wouldn't it? But there's my furniture, God only knows what came over me that time. Even with a spray of blood on it wouldn't look better."_

"Don? Are you still there?" she inquired.

Silence.

"Don?" she said a little harsher and louder.

At one blow he found himself back in reality in the middle of the living room hanging on the phone.

"Uh, sorry Megan I was lost in thoughts. Could you please repeat?" He cleared his throat.

"Another cop was shot. Someone called 911 and reported a domestic quarrel. Officer Michael Camden was only two blocks away. When he went toward the front door of the building he was shot in the head."

_"What a coincidence", his inner voice commented._

Megan told him the address; hopefully he kept it in mind. Once more he didn't respond.

Therefore she said, "Don, if this causes you troubles stay at home. Colby and I can …"

"No, I'm on my way", he muttered and hung up.

His head was spinning with what Megan had told him. Another cop has died a senseless death while he sat in his cozy warm apartment wallowing in self-pity. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly and tried to focus on what to do now. When he went over to the couch he realized he had switched into autopilot. Everything was well trained routine. He was working like clockwork. How long would he be able to save his face? Right now he was just functioning nothing less nothing more.

He wanted to put the service gun back into its holster but stopped. He swallowed, felt hypnotized by the cold metal. His hand trembled slightly. Again his mobile rang. He put the gun into the holster and fumbled his phone out of the pocket of his leather jacket.

"What?" he barked.

"Calm down Donnie, it's just your old Dad", Alan said.

"Sorry Dad but I'm in a hurry Megan just called. Another cop had been shot."

"My goodness!" Alan said aghast. "Where?"

Don tried to remember the address.

"Huntington Park. Sorry Dad I gotta go now!"

"Wait a minute Donnie. You disappeared quite fast after the funeral. I understand that. But if you need someone to talk to you know …"

"I know Dad. Thanks. Could you do me a favor and inform Charlie. He might need it for his calculations."

"Sure and please son take care", Alan said worried.

"I do, promised." He put the phone back into the jacket's pocket. Then he got changed quickly. He felt much more comfortably in his black jeans and his ruby pullover with the v-neck. While hurrying to the car he shoved some chewing gum in his mouth.

He couldn't remember how he got to Huntington Park but he arrived safely. In the street near the house a cluster of LAPD uniforms crowded about and waved the onlookers away. He badged his way into the crime scene and ran right into Lt. Gary Walker.

"Good evening Don. We just buried one and another one follows right ahead. Five cops in eight weeks," he shook his head and said with a voice full of anger, "what about your brother? Doesn't he have an idea were to find this bastard? We need results."

Don tapped Gary's shoulder, "I know my friend, I know. Charlie is working feverishly on it and I'm sure sooner or later he comes up with something."

"Better be sooner," Gary replied and led him down the street.

Passing by the car of the Crime Scene Unit, Don discovered Megan a few steps ahead. He thanked Gary and walked over to her. He had been to dozens of homicides but this case was taking almost everything. He pressed his hand against his stomach it ached. Or was it is heart?

"Don honestly said you look a mess," Megan welcomed him.

_"You should have seen me earlier pressing a gun against the side of my temple. Pretty cool hun, I can tell ya," his inner voice babbled._

Deciding to ignore Megan's words he breathed deeply, pulled a pair of gloves over his hands and knelt down. He took a long and close look at the body of Michael Camden. Poor boy he must have been in his twenties obviously too young to die. Like Liz.

His head was pounding when he got up and it's not from a hangover. He looked around. The open place was a perfect playground for a sniper. He cursed inwardly.

Megan looked squarely into his eyes, "you know not talking about doesn't turn back the clock."

"I'm here because you called me. All I want to do is my job. So would you please stop behaving like a shrink and analyzing me?" Don hissed, took off the gloves and ran through his hair.

"Yes, Sir," she retorted sharply, gave him a venomous look and turned to one of the techs of the Crime Scene Unit.

_"Quite nice Donnie, you'd consider your charm as lethal for the moment." The applause ringing in his ear caused nausea._

Softly he touched her upper arm, "I'm sorry Megan. I'm not myself."

She turned around, "of course you're not but could you tell this little bastard inside to retreat and let me talk to the real Don?" she winked.

He gave her a weak smile, "better? Promise to work on it."

Megan's interest was suddenly aroused. Colby came along with some guys of the SWAT Team. He exchanged some words with them. Then they left again. His forehead was crinkled and he didn't look happy at all. He nodded briefly at Don.

"Not a single trace. They boys and I checked some possible hide outs no reasonable chance. This goddamn place is far too big. Sorry."

Don couldn't remember when he had seen him that desperate before.

He felt obliged to say something, "its okay Colby. None of us is expecting miracles. Charlie is also working on this case and I'm sure …" he sounded like a damned preacher. Nothing was okay. A lunatic was still on the hunt for cops. And all he could do was talking in platitudes.

He watched the scenario from high above. The streets were ablaze with police activity. Television news vans were arriving one after the other. The air was filled with the noise of helicopters. They were on the hunt like he was but there was no need to worry about being discovered. Playing hide and seek with the SWAT Team had thrilled him. He was aroused and the strong pounding of his heart made him feel more alive than ever.

Using the sniper scope he aimed at another target. He was itching to shoot another cop. The adrenalin pumped through his veins made him feel almost invincible. There he was! The guy who cried about the female cop he killed not long ago.

"It would be so easy," the sniper whispered, "do you feel me? I became police worst nightmare and I've just begun."

Having Don in his crosshair he watched every single movement of the FBI agent.

"Mr. Tough FBI," he smirked, "how does it feel knowing your vest isn't worth a dime when my bullet is hitting it?"

Suddenly Don stopped and lifted his head and for a split second the sniper was eye to eye with him. He held his breath. It was impossible the guy could see him by no means. When Don went on to some LAPD uniforms the sniper exhaled relieved. Don was still in the crosshair and he was still lying in wait. tbc


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Don sat at a table in a little Italian restaurant and was working on his second glass of Chivas. He hadn't seen Liz for some time, he was nervous. After splitting up Don started dating Robin with more or less success. He gave a long sigh. Relationships and he could be compared with the effect that holy water has on vampires._

_Ten minutes later she arrived. She looked breathtaking in her dark grey cocktail dress. Her kiss on his cheek was quick and cold. She sat down next to him but not close enough for touching her spontaneously. A waiter came up and Don swayed Liz into a Chardonnay._

_"Another Chivas for you, Sir?"_

_"Yes, please," Don replied._

_A little later she shoved aside her glass, "how's Robin?"_

_He shrugged, "I think she's fine."_

_"Are you happy?" she wanted to know._

_"I thought we were here for dinner and not for interrogation", he snapped and put the glass back on the table._

_In silence they skimmed through the menu and when the waiter came along for the second time they ordered some pizza for Don and Liz decided to take the grilled calamari with salad._

_The third Chivas brought a comforting and warm feeling along. Maybe this was the reason why he asked her, "What the hell has happened to us?"_

_"Tell me," she asked him._

_"I'm asking you."_

_"And I'm asking you back."_

_He shook his head._

_She drained her glass and laughed, "It's not that I think this is funny."_

_She ordered some more wine._

_Then they raised their glasses._

_Silence. The waiter put the plates on the table. Due to their facial expressions he vanished in a hurry._

_"Maybe nothing went wrong," Liz said, "maybe it was some kinda development."_

_He gave an embittered laugh._

_"Don, when we start dating, there was this delirium of passion inside of me just by looking at you. All I had to do was to hear your voice and I was flooded by emotions. Sometimes when the doorbell rang I knew it must be you I was overwhelmed by a heat wave."_

_He touched her hand it was cold._

_"Maybe we had just some hormonal thing going on with each other, and now it's gone." She muttered._

_Her eyes got misty. Her lips tightened._

_"This dinner turns out to be a mistake, doesn't it?" Don sighed, "Things changed."_

_"Yes they did, damned."_

_She lowered her voice, "if I ask you my place or yours would you feel manipulated?"_

_He grinned, "Just for a nanosecond."_

_"I won't say it tonight. I'm feeling unattractive."_

_"Then you're suffering from a delusion," he smirked._

_"Inwardly I'm feeling unattractive," she said, "I wouldn't meet your expectations believe me."_

_Don raised his glass, "to brutal honesty."_

_"I'm sorry, shall we cancel this appointment?" She turned her look at the glass in Don's hand._

_"I didn't come here with the intention to hop into bed with you," he said._

_"So what was it then?"_

_"I don't know … maybe a trick, to make you hop into bed with me."_

_Both smiled._

_Gently she touched his lips with her forefinger._

_"You're still the same, Donnie."_

"Donnie, Donnie c'mon it's quite midnight."

Why had Liz' voice turned into his Dad's?

"Donnie, wake up!"

His eyelids fluttered open and he discovered Alan's face in front of him.

"Sorry Dad, I must have fallen asleep." He ran his hand over his face and set up straight.

"Never mind, Donnie", Alan tapped smiling the shoulder of his eldest.

"I was just in the kitchen preparing some food and when I came back you're sleeping."

Don's mouth was dry, "guess I need something to drink." He got up from the armchair like a hundred year old.

He felt dizzy and gripped at his Dad.

"Are you okay?" Alan was deeply worried.

When Don arrived earlier this evening he looked a mess and didn't talk much. He wasn't even paying a visit to Charlie who was out in the garage working on the case. He just sat down, told him what happened at Huntington Park and asked for something to eat.

"I'm fine, I'm as fit as a fiddle," Don tried to convince his Dad.

"Bet you are," Charlie just entered the room, "you're just undergoing some maintenance, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" Don gave him the same weak smile like Megan and sat down at the dining room table.

Alan put a stew in front of him. He wasn't hungry at all but his stomach deserved a hot meal after such a long and hard day.

Charlie and Alan joined and this made him feel comfortable for the first time today.

"Are you making progress?" Don wanted to know while he was picking at the stew.

Charlie slowly shook his head, "I'm not sure. I've located a hot zone but there's something wrong. It's not as easy as I thought it might be by thinking about our first common case."

"No case is like the other Charlie. I wished it would be that easy." Disgusted Don shoved aside the plate.

"I really could need some help," the younger brother looked expecting at the elder, "is Edgerton still on this top secret mission?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I wanted to talk to him on the phone two days ago but there was no chance. They told me it would endanger whatever he's doing," Don said grimly.

"Could they do this? I mean there are numerous lives at stake and all they say is: Sorry it's not possible?" Charlie was annoyed.

Don nodded yes, "I thought you were familiar with the NSA dealing in such matters."

"Of course I am," Charlie jumped up, "but can't they make an exception to the rule just this time?"

"No, because if they do it this time what about next time? Long live bureaucracy." Don's voice was tripping with sarcasm.

Alan followed the conversation of his sons closely. He was glad that Charlie was still able to get through to Don even if it seemed nobody else was.

Don dragged himself to his feet, "maybe I should take a look at your mumbo-jumbo out in the garage."

"This isn't mumbo-jumbo bro. These are complicated mathematical arrays and analysis and it took hours to …"

Don stopped him with his hand, "I was just kidding man. Calm down." Grinning he followed him outside.

In the garage the walls were plastered with blackboards covered with Charlie's writing.

Don was truly impressed, "What is this?" he pointed on a board to his left.

"Oh, this has nothing to do with the case. I'm working on something for Milly. It's about Statistical Linguistic Analysis and deals with …"

"Whatsoever," Don cut him short, "listen Charlie my brain is running on its lowest level. It won't let me forget to go to the toilet, brush my teeth, be polite to others and that's it. Receiving complicate messages from you could cause a serious damage." Don's smile didn't reach his eyes.

Charlie stepped over to the right corner of the garage were a map of Los Angeles was pinned up, too and he started to tell Don what he found out so far. Don hung on the lips of his younger brother and his brain shifted back into working gear.

--

Sharp nine the next morning he was in the office of Dr. Jason Binch head of the oncology. The twentieth floor was usually a comfortable height for a sniper but today it scared the hell out of him.

"The results of your blood tests are much worse than I thought. You have to undergo another chemo as soon as possible."

The staring look of the doctor made him nervous. Where was his rifle when he needed it the most? Sweat broke out of his pores.

"How long if I stop treatment?" his voice was almost a whisper.

"I don't know, few weeks at least two month? I'm not omniscient. I'm just a doctor who wants the best for his patient."

"The best for your patient?" he hissed, "ever experienced a chemo yourself? This isn't like a walk in the park on a sunny afternoon. It's cruel and it makes you loose your hair and it makes you weak. I'm not sure about letting it happen again."

"Even it'd give you another year instead of some weeks?" The doctor's words made him think.

He breathed in sharply. During the chemo he would probably not be able to follow his destination. But afterward he'd have all the time he needed.

"Okay. I'll do it. When do we start?" he asked quietly.

The doctor scribbled out the location of another office two floors down. There was no date.

"If it's all the same to you I'd like to start this afternoon."

--

Don arrived around ten this morning at the office. Megan thought his eyes looked more alive than yesterday.

"Good morning, Don," she welcomed him with a warm smile.

"My personal shrink," he grinned, "how nice to have you around. I hope you'd keeping me from jumping out of the window after my third coffee this morning," he said and vanished into the kitchen.

"Don has a grim sense of humor these days", Colby stated while skimming through the Sports Illustrated.

"What would you do if you were in his shoes?" Megan said.

Colby threw a glance over the cover of the magazine at his colleague, "honestly said I've no clue. I dunno what I would do if someone shoots the woman I love right in front of me. Go berserk?"

The glass door was pushed open and a long legged, dark haired beauty wearing a perfect fitting pantsuit came towards them. Colby's jaw dropped literally while Megan was getting up and asking her who she was and what she wanted.

The women extended her hand, "hi my name is Gloria Jacobi. I'm here because the Assistant Director in Charge thought it might be a good idea to handle the cop killer case as an interdepartmental alliance. Can you tell me where to find Special Agent Don Eppes?" tbc


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Five minutes later on their way over to Norman Wright, the new Assistant Director in Charge for about five month now, Don didn't know what to expect. Jacobi had told him nothing just mentioning interdepartmental alliances. It sounded great in one way. He could use every help he could get but his instinct told him to watch out. Don was thinking about a big meeting but when they entered the office it was just the three of them.

"Good morning Special Agent Eppes, Special Agent Jacobi," Wright welcomed them.

The looks his boss and Jacobi exchanged gave Don an unpleasant feeling that they've been talking about him before.

"Please, take a seat," Wright said.

He skimmed through some notes on his desk.

"How you're doing Eppes?" Wright wanted to know, "as I told you I'm sorry about what happened to Agent Liz Warner. Her death is a great loss for our Department and even more for you."

From the corner of his eye Don could see that Jacobi starred at the bracelet on her wrist.

Suddenly, the air got thick.

"Would you mind getting to the point?" Don said impatiently, "I guess there's no reason chewing through Agent Warner's death once more. I told you everything about it and …"

"It's okay Eppes, it's okay," Wright calmed him. "Special Agent Jacobi came here to help us along in the cop killer case. She's specialized in managing sensitive cases. And this cop killer thing turned out to be one. Many citizens are worried about their safety and wonder how that maniac succeeded in shooting five cops in a row without being discovered. You know what I mean?"

_"Donnie you're about getting royally screwed!" his inner voice stated._

Don gave Jacobi a defiant look, "And what exactly is her part?"

"Her part is controlling the damages, containing and calming the waves," Jacobi shot back.

"Special Agent Jacobi actually works at the Field Office in Chicago. She was investigating a serial murder two month ago. Günter Hagen. Remember?"

Don nodded, "the German Sailor who preferred to slaughter young, black, females."

"Exactly, Jacobi was the one who hunted him down after two other agents failed", Wright said with a voice full of pride.

"Do you really think that makes her qualified for this job? I mean a serial murder and a serial shooting are two different things," Don declared.

"Special Agent Jacobi was serving in Croatia as a member of a reconnaissance unit. She's a trained sniper." Wright looked quite amused when Don's jaw dropped, "consider her as Edgerton's female counterpart."

Jacobi sat there with a smug grin on her face while Don moaned inwardly, "Excellent!"

He took a deep breath before he said, "And who's in charge? You know I'm used to running my own cases."

"That wouldn't be a problem," Wright smirked.

Don looked at Wright evaluating. What's next? Would his new boss tell him he was fired?

"From my point of view you are involved too deeply in the cop killer case, both emotionally and personally. Therefore you're withdrawn from it immediately."

Don's body stiffened in rage, "you can't do this! Special Agent Jacobi can join my team and assist. No problem with that. I'm sure …"

"Eppes, that wasn't a request. You are told to speed up Jacobi," Wright flashed his eyes at Don, "You get another case cause I guess you could need some distraction."

Once more Jacobi and Wright exchanged looks and Jacobi got up.

"See you later Eppes," she extended her hand, Don didn't take it.

"This is ridiculous," Don hissed after she'd left, "I'm doing fine, Sir and I'm able to cope with what happened. There's no need for …"

"I'm not willing to discuss this matter," Wright cut him short, "I've made my decision. Has it occurred to you how lucky you are not being suspended? I'm doing you a favour. The public and the media are watching this case like hawks. You're one of the best Agents but you should know when it's time to retreat. This other case is also very important."

Don swallowed, trying to get rid of the big lump in his throat desperately. He struggled for composure. What did they say about Liz' death? It wasn't his fault. But of course they blamed him. He stood next to her when it happened.

"I wish I could …" Don let his voice drop.

Wright got up and sat down on the edge of his desk in front of him.

"Don't think I'm blaming you for what happened to Agent Warner. It also could've been you instead of her or anybody else on the scene", he said with a soft voice, "I just want you out of the line of fire literally. I can imagine what you are going through now. My wife died in a car crash about five years ago. I thought to lose my mind. During that time I was involved in investigations about gang activities in Downtown. My heart was full of pain and anger. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't think. One day all things came together at once. We were chasing some of the boys from the gang. One of them pulled out a gun but I didn't recognize it. My eyes were tired, I was tired. An innocent old woman, watering the roses in her garden was shot by a ricochet and died. My partner finally killed the bastard. I just stood there in disbelief."

For a minute, the room was filled with silence.

"Don't let this happen to you, Don." Wright said.

Don cleared his throat and lifted his head, "what's this other case about?"

Wright got back behind the desk.

"Jessalyn Ruben and her little niece Cindy need to be protected", he said.

"Ruben?" Don startled.

"Ring a bell? Jessalyn is Anthony Ruben's sister. He left a bloody trace across the country."

"The press was calling him: The black widower," Don said, "Liz I mean Agent Warner was involved in the case. I didn't know he had a sister."

"Now the life of Jessalyn and Cindy, his daughter, are endangered by a lunatic who vows vengeance for the murder of the women. First there were letters, than it was Jessalyn's car and now it's her dog. She found him nailed on the door of her backyard."

"How nice, quite inventive," Don commented sarcastically, "why is this maniac after them? He could pay a visit to Ruben at the state prison any time he wants."

"One of the points you'd figure out if you agree to take this challenge."

"What if I don't?"

"You can stay at home. Unpaid," Wright lifted his eyebrows.

Don ran his hand over his face and muttered, "You know how to cheer people up."

Wright grinned, "Jessalyn and her niece are observed 24/7. I need you to coordinate the operation and to have a look on the girls."

"Girls? How old are they?" Don wanted to know.

"Jessalyn is twenty three and Cindy is five."

Don compared sitting unpaid at home with babysitting. He chose babysitting.

Megan, Colby and David looked at him expectantly when he returned. He called them into the meeting room together with Jacobi and told them about the agreement with Wright. None of them was happy about the decision.

When Don and Jacobi were left alone in the meeting room she said, "I'm not after your job. I've no intensions to move to Los Angeles. I love Chicago and when this is over you won't see me again."

He darted a sardonic glance at her, "Why do you think I won't see you again?"

Nervously she licked her lips.

He felt a slight tingle racing down his spine and at the same time he caught himself thinking, _"If times were different …"_ tbc


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

His team left the office with Jacobi. Don was sitting at his desk to gather some information about Jessalyn Ruben, but he could hardly concentrate. He was caught up in a whirlwind of emotion. "If times where different" he thought once more, "different from what?" Yesterday he had been sitting in his apartment pressing a gun against the side of his temple. A few minutes ago he flirted with Jacobi or at least he tried to. This was ridiculous, wasn't it?

"Jessalyn Ruben," Don muttered and tried to concentrate on his new case. After some time he gave up. The letters were dancing in front of his eyes. What the hell was going on with him? He turned off the computer, fetched his jacket and left.

Marina del Rey. He dropped off the car, felt the sun on his face, filled his lungs with fresh air and crossed the street. His well trained instinct told him that the man in the blue Ford was a cop.

Don took a closer look at a front garden. The hedges were perfectly trimmed, the grass freshly mown. The house was maintained beautifully. He checked the house number and entered through the garden gate. He smelled the scent of roses and heard the giggling of a child. He discovered the little girl behind one of those hedges. She sat in front of a Barbie house. Next to her was a bowl filled with gummi bears. Don watched her. She put one into her mouth and the next one into the house. He flashed a smile and decided to join her.

She looked puzzled when he crouched opposite her. He winked at her friendly. Curly chestnut-colored hair framed her lovely face and big brown eyes starred at him. Somehow the girl reminded him of little Charlie.

"Hi, my name is Don", he introduced himself, "and this is a very beautiful house."

She showed no reaction.

"Guess you like pink, don't you? Your dress and the house have the same color." She just stared at him. "Lots of gummi bears in your bowl. Do you like them? Would you mind if I taste some. I'm starving."

This was true because he had only had four coffees this morning. He reached for the bowl. No good idea.

The little girl scrunched her face. Don scrunched his face. Tears were welling up her eyes, her chubby chin quivered. Slowly she opened her mouth. Don's eyes widened. Her eyes widened. He held his breath while she bursted out crying. Helplessly, he looked around. Thank God, the entrance door flung open and a young woman dressed in a tank top, shorts and flip-flops hurried across the lawn. He jumped to his feet. The young woman took the crying girl into her arms and rocked her gently.

"Ms. Ruben?" Don asked irritated.

She nodded.

Showing her his badge in a way no one else could see it he said, "My name is Don Eppes. I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't want to scare her or …"

She gave him a warm smile, "its okay Agent Eppes. It wasn't your fault. How should you know that Cindy's deaf?"

His jaw dropped for the second time today.

She still rocked little Cindy and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. Then she brushed a curl from her eyes and put her back on the lawn.

Jessalyn was using sign language, "This is D O N. He is a friend."

Cindy crinkled her forehead and answered something. Don followed their conversation fascinated. After a while Jessalyn shook her head. The little girl pulled a face, got up and vanished behind the entrance door.

"What happened?" Don was curious.

"First she told me, you can't be a friend cause you were after her gummi bears."

He smirked.

Jessalyn rolled her eyes, "I told her she'd enough gummi bears for today and she should go inside to wash her hands. I just finished cooking. She didn't want to. Therefore I've told her: no lunch, no SpongeBob. She was quite fast, wasn't she?"

He nodded and started to feel uncomfortable.

Recognizing the look in his face she asked, "Something wrong Agent Eppes?"

"I think I'd better called you. I feel like an intruder," he answered.

"Oh no, it's okay. I was expecting you. I mean not especially you …," she blushed, "May I invite you for lunch? I made some pasta."

Don's mouth watered and his stomach growled, "Yes I'd love to."

They walked back to the house. She swallowed, "Usually I'm not scared but what happened to poor Sam …" she shook her head in disbelief.

"Sam was your dog?" Don inquired.

"Yes," she started to shiver as she was suddenly assaulted by tattered memories, "it was horrible, wanna have a look?"

He followed her inside. The house was furnished with craftsman style furniture. The walls were painted peach-colored matching with the tiles on the floor. The smell of the pasta was tempting. She led him to the door of the backyard and opened it. There were still stains of blood on the wall and the door.

"The people from the insurance company told me it'll be fixed by the day after tomorrow," she said contritely.

"Where you and Cindy at home when it happened?" Don wanted to know.

"Yes, we slept upstairs," her eyes darted back and forth, "we were lucky, I guess."

"Do you have any idea who …"

"No. The whole thing started about two month ago. I got threatening letters, emails. Honestly said I ignored them. After my brother was arrested a lot of weird stuff was in the mail or at the front door."

"Such as …?" He looked at her quizzically.

"Long stemmed black roses, a dead rat, garbage, some things were really disgusting. In the end, the people lost their interest and it stopped until …" She breathed deeply.

Cindy showed up. Her hands and parts of her face were smeared with blue and yellow color.

She grinned from one ear to the other and gestured.

"Okay, I'm coming. Would you excuse me for a moment, Agent Eppes? In the meanwhile please have a seat in the dining room," Jessalyn showed him the way.

Don sat down. It was quiet. He could hear the clock ticking: tick, tack, tick, tack, tick, tack. His eyes got heavy. He startled when Jessalyn and Cindy put the plates on the table. "Beer or Soda?" Jessalyn asked him. "Soda, please," Don suppressed a yawn. Cindy watched him closely. He gave her a smile and wiggled his eyebrows. She chuckled. Don wondered how an animal like Anthony Ruben could be the father of such a lovely child.

About half an hour later Don patted his belly to indicate his satisfaction, "the lunch was excellent Ms. Ruben."

"Call me Jess, please," she just finished clearing the table. The three of them got up and walked over to the living room. Jessalyn sat down in a comfortable leather armchair, Don took the couch and Cindy curled up close to him.

She looked up expectantly and made a gesture.

"That means she likes you," Jess translated.

"I like her, too," he answered hoarsely, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.

They started a conversation. Don learned a lot about Anthony Ruben, his childhood and also how it came that Jess was taking care of Cindy. Her real mother left when she was two. She could neither bear her daughter's handicap nor her average day life, wanted more. Anthony wasn't able to fulfill her sky-high-expectations; Cindy was a bother to her. Don shook his head and glanced at Cindy who rested her curly head on his lap while she was sleeping. What Jess couldn't tell was at which point in his life Anthony Ruben had become "The Black Widower" and why. Time was fleeting and when Don left it started to dawn.

The blue Ford was still there. Don didn't want to return to his apartment and strolled along the sidewalk, enjoyed looking out at the gently rocking boats in the marina. He went over to the docks humming, "sitting on the dock of a bay" and glad no one else could hear him. He held on to the railing with both hands.

He wasn't sure if it had been such a good idea choosing him for this special case. Okay, as Wright had told him he wasn't really in the line of fire and everything was easy going. But this was not what he wanted. He wanted to be out on the street hunting down the bastard who had killed Liz and the other cops. He swallowed the lump in his throat, blinked back the tears. The setting sun turned the water into different shades of red. Busy people bustled on the waterfront, laughed, talked. Lovers were holding hands or kissing. Although the place was crowded he felt lonesome. tbc


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

He sat on top of the building, waiting in silence. He felt dizzy and his fingers trembled slightly. He'd decided not to go to the hospital. He felt not great but fine and he didn't want to change this by starting a chemo. Maybe tomorrow – who knew? He was facing death anyway. He was used to it and it was thrilling. Yeah, it was!

He glanced at his watch. He had called 911 a few minutes ago reporting a _245 – Assault with a deadly weapon_. Beads of sweat ran down his face and over his eyebrows. He wiped his face with the back of his arm. The noise of the police sirens quickened his pulse. He breathed heavy. The flashing lights cut through the night. He tried to ignore the nagging pain in his stomach.

He had to concentrate on the LAPD uniforms that had just arrived. He aimed at the elder one and slowed down his breath: three, two, one. He felt relieved when the bullet left the muzzle on its deadly mission. But something went wrong. The bullet hit the side mirror. Alarmed the cops ran for cover. He cursed because he won't have a second chance, not tonight. The pain grew stronger. He hurried across the roof until he reached the edge of it. He hesitated for a moment, he always did.

"Don't be such a sissy", he scolded himself and jumped.

The flowing adrenalin let him know he was still alive. He pulled the rip cord, the black parachute unfolded and shortly afterwards he landed safely. He put his things together and vanished into a parking garage. Few minutes later he was on his way home listening to the police radio.

--

"Don home alone wasn't nearly as entertaining as Kevin home alone," he thought sarcastically.

He needed sleep and a hot shower. He took off his clothes. His head ached and his body felt sore like he had been working out all night. He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower then he took a look into the mirror. He jerked. A pale face, dark rings under the eyes, sunken cheeks. He must have lost some pounds the last few weeks.

He stepped into the shower and put the forehead against the tiled wall. The steaming hot water drummed down his back. He sighed and closed his eyes. He wished the water could wash away his doubts, his anger and his grief. After a while he turned around. He watched the water running down his chest, following the outlines of his muscles down to the floor and into the drain. For the blink of an eye the water turned into blood. He startled when somebody rang the doorbell.

Don turned off the water, jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. Ring, ring, ring. He rushed to the door, tore it open and found himself opposite to …

"Colby?!"

"Bingo! Nice towel," he smirked.

"What's up?" Don snarled.

"You didn't answer your phone so I thought you might need …"

"A nanny or a coroner?" Don hissed.

"Some company or at least someone who's listening," Colby said and held up a six pack, "I brought some friends along."

Don waved him in, "have a seat. I just put on something more comfortable."

Colby wrinkled the forehead when he discovered Don's service gun on the coffee table.

"This is getting serious," he muttered throwing himself onto the couch.

Don returned wearing just a pair of stonewashed jeans and rubbing his hair with a towel.

Colby nodded at the gun, "anything you wanna talk about or just an odd decoration?"

Don took a sip from the can and breathed in deeply.

After a while Colby broke the silence, "when I had returned from Afghanistan I was haunted by my dreams. As soon as I closed my eyes I found myself surrounded by my dead comrades blaming me for not bringing them home safely. I saw children with dirty faces running for their lives, with eyes full of fear, crying for their loved ones. I saw Michael and me fooling around. Thinking we were save when a car bomb exploded next to us. I crouched. My whole body was trembling with fear. A minute later I turned to Michael wanted to know if he's okay. But he wasn't there anymore. There was a spray of blood on the wall and on my uniform, a torn up shoe just lay around."

He crushed the empty can with one hand. Don got up and put the gun into the chest of drawer.

"I think I won't need it tonite," he said in a low voice.

Colby shook his head with a grim look on his face.

"I was just kidding," Don apologized.

"This isn't funny," Colby snapped, "maybe you should seek professional help."

Don laughed bitterly, "You aren't talking about a shrink by chance, are you? I'm doing fine. I just have to sort out some things and …"

"That's a lie and you know it," Colby stated.

Don sat down in the armchair, "so what do you want to hear? Shall I break down and cry? Is that what you …"

"I didn't come here with any expectation. Do whatever you want Don. Cry, laugh or scream from the top of your lungs. I don't care. Just be true to yourself!"

Don buried his head in his hands. When he looked up his eyes were moist.

"The truth is I dunno how to deal with it. It's like something inside of me had died when Liz did. So many things were left unspoken. I wished I could tell her it wasn't my fault and that it should be me instead of her lying in that coffin. I wished …" his voice broke. A single tear ran down his face.

Colby lent forward and put his hand on Don's lower arm, "Today, Megan asked me what I would have done if I had been in your shoes. I have no clue. Someone you loved was killed right in front of your eyes. All the training, all the experience you gathered during the years out there on the streets couldn't help her. They tell you a lot in Quantico, hell ya, I know. But they can't tell you anything about the brutality of real life. They also tell you to keep a certain distance to the victim. God damned, you loved this woman how shall you …"

"We weren't in love with each other when she died," Don mumbled, "we weren't even dating. We were just friends." Thoughtfully he nibbled at his lower lip.

Colby took a sip from his second can of beer.

"I guess it's time for a change. How was your day Special Agent Eppes?" he looked at him expectantly.

"How was yours?" Don asked him back not really enthusiastic.

"Uh, what shall I say? Jacobi is definitely an eye candy. She knows how to dress, she looks like a model and last but not least she's quite bossy. I have the doubtful pleasure to share my car with her for the next few days. Don't you need some help with your case?"

Don flashed a smile, "You don't really like her, do you?"

"Let's say working with you is a pleasure!" Colby winked at him. "I've never experienced the feeling of Master and Servant as much as I do now. It's something I could do without. But forget Agent wonderbra for a minute."

"Agent wonderbra?" Don almost cracked up.

"David and I were discussing Jacobi's special attitudes and …" Colby cleared his throat, "to cut it short:the name fits perfectly and … we have a potential witness for the last shooting."

Don's head jerked up and he stared at Colby in disbelief, "who is it?"

"Sadie Kellerman. Agent wonderbra doubts her."

"Why?"

"Don you're starting to show real interest. I'm flattered."

"Colby?!"

"Sadie Kellerman is homeless, living in a box and obviously has some screws loose. But what she has told us about the night Michael Camden died makes sense."

Don shook his head, "are you kidding me? How could you trust her? I bet for a bottle of Gin she tells ya everything."

"She's neither drinking nor taking drugs," Colby snapped, "Life didn't treat her well. But that's another story. Shortly after the shooting she showed up in a police department and told the police officer in charge she'd seen Batman jumping from the top of a building."

"Colby, how much beer did you have today? Or is it the heat? I appreciate you came along. But now you're getting kinky! This is just ridiculous! Batman, ha! What's next, Spiderman?"

Colby narrowed his eyes, "It is not ridiculous, Don, not at all. After the attacks he always seems to vanish into thin air. We are still puzzling over it. Now it makes sense. He uses a parachute."

"A parachute? C'mon Colby this isn't Mission Impossible we're talking about," Don said sarcastically.

"Base Jumping itself is not illegal. But if you consider to jump from a tall building you must concern permissions to use the object from which the jump is initiated and the area used for landing. Base Jumping is nothing that just happens in movies. I gathered some information about. There are certain shops in town who sell this special equipment. It's quite different from skydiving. A bunch of people are practicing it across country. It's almost the same as illegal car races."

Colby sounded quite convincing, although Don thought he might be way too optimistic. He drained the can and looked squarely into the eyes of his friend.

"Okay. I'm in. We are talking to Sadie Kellerman and checking out the shops. You know you could get in serious trouble for this, buddy."

Colby grinned from ear to ear, "Trouble's my middle name, isn't it?" tbc


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Don woke up with a slight hangover. After the beer Colby and he had welcomed Walker, Johnny Walker. Due to Colby's news about this Base Jumping thing, Don decided to consult Charlie. He was curious what his little bro had to say. He shaved, brushed his teeth and got dressed casually. Jeans, black t-shirt and leather jacket. He put his wet hair under his turned back cap and fetched his service gun and his sunglasses from the chest of drawers. He and Colby would meet later downtown in front of a liquor store. He was glad he was off today.

The traffic was smoothly. Don put a chewing gum in his mouth and turned on the CD player. He felt more energized than he ever had in a long time. The dark clouds in his mind seemed to vanish. He was humming to the music and drummed on the steering wheel. "Take a bow" by Leona Lewis. He glanced at his watch.

"Hopefully little Professor's at home," he thought smiling. Little, Cindy crossed his mind. She was such a lovely child and Jess did an awesome job by teaching her sign language. He sighed. The light switched from green to red. Next to him a black BMW 320i Convertible stopped. The driver hooted two times to get Don's attention. He discovered a long legged blond who blew him a kiss. Amused he lowered his glasses to peer at her. She nodded invitingly and held up a cup from Starbucks. He pointed at his watch and shook his head. She seemed disappointed. The light switched back to green. With a broad grin on his face he winked at her and accelerated.

"It's good to be home," he thought when he knocked at the door of the Eppes men home.

Alan opened the door.

"Donnie!" his face brightened up, "Come in son. Want some coffee? How are you? You look much better than last time we met."

Instead of waiting for an answer, he hurried into the kitchen.

Don flashed a smile and sad aloud, "Hey Dad. Coffee would be nice. I'm doing fine and I guess you need a new pair of glasses. I'm feeling terrible but it's getting better every day."

While Don hung up his jacket, his father returned with a big steaming cup of coffee and put it on the dining room table.

"I'm so glad to see you," Alan said.

Don winked at him took the cup, went over to the living room and threw himself on the couch.

"Where's Charlie?" he wanted to know.

His dad gave a long sigh, "well he and Larry are fooling around in the garage."

Don wrinkled his forehead, "fooling around in the garage? What does that mean?"

"They are burning tea bags, to proof something. I've no clue what's it all about and I've gotten tired of cleaning up after the two slobs. So I banished them to the garage." Alan was really pissed.

Don tried to bite back a laugh.

"Donnie, don't laugh. I'm serious. You have no idea what Charlie and Larry are able to do in the name of science."

"I think I should pay them a visit. I'm too curious and I need Charlie's help anyway," Don said grinning from ear to ear, "thanks for the coffee, dad."

There was a lively discussion going on between Charlie and Larry when Don entered the garage.

"Hey there fellas, how're you doing? Dad told me you where about to set the house on fire," Don smirked.

"No, absolutely not! This is a controlled experiment," Charlie defeated himself and Larry, "we've done this before and no one was hurt and nothing went up in flames."

"Excuse me Ladies, but what are you going to proof with setting tea bags on fire? You won't get high from it definitely. So can anyone enlighten me, please?"

Charlie took another tea bag, "Just watch."

He took a scissor and cut off the edge of the tea bag including the staple and the string. Then he removed all the tea and set the cylinder upright on the table. Using a match he lit the tea bag evenly all around the top. As the burning proceeded downward, the tea bag rose gently about one meter into the air.

Don was quite surprised, "Wow."

Charlie knocked on the table, "no one was hurt and there are no marks left on the table either."

"How does it work?" Don was curious.

"The burning tea-bag forms convection current above it. When it becomes light enough it'll rise with the convection current it has created," Larry explained while Charlie drew a sketch on the blackboard.

"Well, yes. Thank you guys," Don muttered. He didn't really grasp what they're talking about.

"You're welcome Don. Wanna join our discussion about convection? It's one of the major modes of heat and mass transfer," Charlie said.

"Uh, no thank you. I'm not really in the mood for such a heavy discussion. If you know what I mean," he gave them a weak smile.

Charlie nodded regretfully, "yes of course. How could we … Its okay. I just forgot…"

He and Larry exchanged concerned looks and kept silent for a few minutes.

"Actually I came here cause I wanted to ask you what you know about Base Jumping," Don broke the silence.

Charlie's jaw dropped and his eyes widened with fear.

Larry cleared his throat, "Don, life is often hard and painful. When you experience hard times, will you cope in such a way that you recover, become a stronger person, and go on with your life -- or will you…"

"Larry, what's the matter with you?" Don cut him short and shook his head, "Man, it's not me I'm talking about. I'm talking about the sniper. Someone saw him jumping from a rooftop after Officer Camden was shot."

When Don turned his head toward him and smiled, Charlie felt truly relieved and started pacing around as he always did when his brain shifted into drive.

"Larry, what's the name of the professor who did all this crazy stuff."

"Uh, I know who you mean," Larry put his hand against his forehead, "damned. The students just called him Mr. Adrenaline."

Charlie nodded and clicked his fingers like castanets in ecstasy.

"Rutledge," Larry and he said simultaneously.

Charlie looked at Don, "Irwin Rutledge. A hell of a guy; had been teaching physics. The students loved him."

"And the women were crazy about him," Larry added.

Don looked to and fro between the two, "And?"

"He did Base Jumping, Bungee Jumping, skydiving, Heliskiing. He could tell you everything you want to know…" Charlie seemed hooked and impressed.

"And where can I find him?" Don almost lost his patience.

Larry gave a loud long sigh and shrugged his shoulders, "he never returned from his last trip into the Amazonas."

"Excellent. What shall I do now? Go on a rescue mission to the Amazonas?" Don hissed.

Charlie grinned, "That won't be necessary. All his records are in our library. I'll go there and find out what I can. As far as I know the buildings must have a certain height for Base Jumping."

"We compare the data to what we know already. As far as I know Rutledge was using a program specially designed for his needs. Maybe we can modify it and …" Larry was almost brimming over with enthusiasm.

"Fantastic, Larry. Don, excuse us. We've got to go to the library," Charlie stated, "I get back to you later."

It took not even a minute and he found himself left alone in the garage.

"What happened?" Alan wanted to know when Don showed up, "Charlie and Larry looked like being chased by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Is the garage on fire?"

Don almost cracked up laughing, "No. I just ask them for some help with the sniper case.

"I wished Charlie would be that fast if I need a helping hand with the house. How did you do that?"

"It's my charm dad and my convincing personality." Don grinned from ear to ear.

"You're taking me for a fool, aren't you?"

His eldest took his jacket from the hook, "sorry Dad. Colby's waiting for me. I call ya."

The door locked shut before Alan could reply. tbc


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hi, sweetheart, did you miss me?" he said softly.

"I missed you so much it hurts," she replied.

"Mom and Dad were here, they brought some flowers."

He looked at the cheerful bouquet with gerberas and chrysanthemum.

"They look nice and you look pretty little sis."

She blushed, "you shouldn't say something like this. I look awful. My hair isn't done. This gown is absolutely old fashioned and I'm in urgent need of a manicure."

He smirked and shook his head, "Lilly, you crazy little girl."

He nudged her nose.

She scrunched her face, "Why did you miss your last chemo? They told me you didn't show up. You're risking your life. Don't do that, please."

He was hammered back to reality by someone knocking at the door.

It was a nurse, "sorry for disturbing you, but I've to change the infusion bag," she said giving him a warm smile.

Shortly afterwards he and Lilly were alone again. He brushed away a strand of blonde hair from her face with a shaky hand. He hated the nurse for tearing him out of his reverie.

"Smile for me little princess, just one more time," his voice broke.

He swallowed. Lilly would never smile again. He remembered it like it was yesterday. Lilly and he were on their way home from the theatre where she was rehearsing for her role in Swan Lake. She was such a beautiful little ballerina.

Suddenly they heard the roaring of an engine, the squealing of tires and a car raced around the corner. A police car followed but the goddamned cop lost control over his vehicle. He wanted to shout a warning but it was too late. He could only watch as her body collided with the car. She was propelled through the air like a doll, and then she came down to hit the street with a sickening thud. Two months had passed since this.

The doctors did their best, at least that's what they've been telling him and his parents. She was put on life support but her brain damage was too extensive. His family was very wealthy and so his dad gathered specialists from around the world. All the money and all the knowledge couldn't help. There wasn't any chance that she'd get better. By the end of this week they'd turn off her life support. It hadn't been an easy decision to make.

The guy who'd caused the accident was still on duty. Lilly received a heart- and meaningless letter of apology and some money. Therefore he decided to take revenge upon the man who destroyed his sister's happiness and all the others who were just the same. And on the day Lilly would close her eyes forever he would go after officer Brody.

He laughed bitterly, "Justice was blind, how true!"

Tears welled up in his eyes, spilled over and ran down his face. It was time to say goodbye.

His decision was made by leaving the hospital: no more chemo! The feeling of peace grew within from the knowledge of fulfilling his destiny. There was just one thing left. He wasn't keen on being arrested. No happy ending. He wanted to face death with courage and dignity. Being eye to eye with Mr. Tough FBI was all he could think of.

--

Don parked across the street and went over to Colby who lent against his car. His hands thrust in his jeans pockets. He had a grim look on his face.

"Hey Colby, what's up?" Don greeted him.

His friend nodded, "Hey Don. Two cops were assaulted last night. Thank God no one was hurt. Obviously this sonofabitch had a bad day and hit only the side mirror."

"Let's hope he _had_ a bad day and wasn't just fooling around." Don clenched his teeth.

"Mind if we go to the store? I'd like to buy some cookies for Sadie," Colby said.

Don nodded and followed him. A nervous looking guy attracted their attention. He wore a hoodie, dirty jeans and Nikes and entered the shop at first.

Don and Colby exchanged looks and nodded at the same time. They guy muttered incoherently and his movements were erratic. Don turned left, his hand on the butt of his gun while Colby stayed next to the counter buying some sweets. In this very moment the guy cocked a gun and leveled it at the cashier's and Colby's head.

"Gimme the money," he yelled and put a plastic bag on the counter, "c'mon."

The poor old man behind the counter was scared to death.

"The money put it in here!" the stranger yelled.

Colby's heart hammered in his chest, where the hell was Don?

He was waiting for the right moment. Unfortunately the guy was losing it, he trembled. Don didn't think he could wait any longer. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

"FBI! Freeze!" he yelled and stepped forward, two hands on his gun, leveling at him.

"It's over, drop it," Don said, carefully advancing toward him.

The guy just laughed when he aimed the gun at the agent in front of him and pulled the trigger. _BANG_! tbc


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The shot echoed in Don's mind as he watched the guy falling toward the floor. Colby still held the smoking gun in his hand. The smell of cordite was in the air. Don sucked in a breath. He was shaking like a leave when he holstered the gun. Colby knelt down, checked the guy and nodded. Of course he was dead. There was a hole in the back of his head. Colby played it safe. His friend's life had been in danger. He took out his cell phone and dialed 911.

Then he got up and looked at Don. He hadn't said anything yet.

"Are you okay Don?"

No reaction.

Don found himself back on the scene with Liz in his arms crying desperately for help. The paramedics did their best to save her but it was too late. Don went berserk, grabbed the medic by the scruff of his neck and pushed him against the car. He was shouting at him he hadn't done enough and that he should proceed. They needed three guys to put him away. One of them received a cut above the right eyebrow.

"Don?" Colby pushed him gently.

At a blow he was back in reality, "Sorry, I owe you," he muttered.

"You would have done the same for me, too."

"That was just great guys," the old man hollered out suddenly, "better than watching CSI on the telly," he gave them a toothless grin.

Then he lent over the counter, "Bet it wasn't your day freak!"

He scratched his neck, "He was sneaking around for the last four or five days, should've known better. Thank you, anyway. Take whatever you want it's free."

Colby shook his head, "we were just doing our duty, Sir."

The old man nodded at the ceiling, "You think I might get a copy?" As they followed his look they spotted a security camera in the corner.

"You know, only for private purpose," he grinned again.

The police cars arrived with blaring horns and flickering lights.

Don and Colby testified about the shooting. Everything went smooth. There was no doubt about that Colby had been acting in self defense. They were on their way back to Colby's car when Jacobi entered the scene. She looked really upset.

"What the hell you're thinking you're doing?" she welcomed them.

"Preventing a crime?" Colby replied sucking in his cheeks and crossing his arms on his chest, "Preventing my partner from dying?"

She narrowed her eyes, "a man is laying in there his face down on the floor. I guess I can at least expect some answers. Is that too much?" She stood with her hands on her hips.

Don cleared his throat, "Colby was paying when this guy decided to pull a gun. Then one thing came to another."

She lifted her left eyebrow. "And what are you doing here? As far as I remember Officer Camden was shot in this area, wasn't he?"

"We were just on the way to a buddy of ours", Colby lied, "he lives three blocks ahead."

She gritted her teeth. It felt like running against a wall.

"Don't mess around with me Colby!" she warned him, "I was born at night but it wasn't last night. Everybody is replaceable."

Her looks darted back and forth between him and Don.

"And you Eppes," she spat out his name, "don't forget that this is no longer your case. Shouldn't you be with Jessalyn Ruben and take care about her and her little niece? As far as I know she lives in Marina Del Rey."

She turned her heels and walked off, leaving Don and Colby slightly disgruntled.

"I guess you know by now what I was talking about," Colby hissed.

Don nodded, "poor Colby. I won't be in your shoes," he flashed a smile and then turned serious, "now where do we find Sadie?

Colby nodded left, "three blocks ahead. So you see I just told the truth," he smirked.

As they came along an old factory the streets narrowed to dirt paths and the stench of sewer was everywhere. Don's anxiety increased as he noticed people inside the shabby old building were glowering at them.

"Nice place to live," he muttered.

"Yeah? Maybe Sadie can introduce you to the caretaker," Colby snorted.

A woman showed up. It was hard to tell but Don thought she was in her early twenties. She wore multicolored trousers a black t-shirt and boots. Her jet-black hair was cut short and spiked out a bit.

"Colby Granger," she hollered out and hurried toward them.

"Is this Sadie?" Don wanted to know.

Colby nodded, "yes, she is."

He welcomed her with a broad grin, "how's my girl?"

"Uh, fine cause I knew you'd come along." She leered at him while she fidgeted with her knapsack, "got something for you." She got nervous and started to curse.

"If you want I can lend you a hand," he suggested.

She blushed, "you do that for me? Here you are." She put the knapsack into Colby's hand and told him that there is a piece of paper in the left pocket.

While Colby was looking for it Sadie eyeballed Don.

"You're a cutie," she chuckled, "is he your friend, Colby?"

He nodded and held the piece of paper in his hand, "he's my boss."

Sadie's eyes widened, "WOW. You must be a tough guy." She rocked on the balls of her feet and grinned from ear to ear, "do you have a gun?"

"Of course," Don replied, "but I'm not going to show it to you."

She scrunched her face and turned to Colby, "does he really have a gun?"

"Yes, Sadie, he has. And now stop bothering him. Can you tell me, what this is?" He returned the knapsack and held out the piece of paper to her, some notes were scribbled on it.

She shrugged, "I dunno. Batman lost it."

Don and Colby exchanged surprised looks and Don put out some chewing gum.

"Me wanna have one, me wann have one!" She jumped up and down like a four year old.

Don took one out and gave her the package. "Thank you," she flung her arms around his neck and repeated her thanks again.

A big black male came out of the broken door and eyed them suspiciously.

"Everything's okay, Sadie?" his voice was a deep growl.

"Yes, Bear. These are my friends Colby Granger and his boss. Do you have a name boss?"

"My name is Don Eppes. You can call me Don", he smirked.

She gave a loud sigh, "Don. Don and Colby. Eppes and Granger. Wow, my friends have cool names."

She grinned mischievously, "I help them. You know with Batman. You have seen him, too, haven't you Bear?"

"Yeah, I have. But I told you it wasn't Batman it was a guy with a parachute jumping from a rooftop", he growled.

Don's interest was aroused, "So you had a closer look at him? Can you describe him?"

"Who wants to know? And why?" Bear got into it.

Don wasn't sure if it was a good idea to show him his badge.

"C'mon bear, these are my friends. Tell them what you know," Sadie interfered.

Scowling Bear nibbled at his lower lip but finally gave in.

"I haven't seen much. I haven't seen his face. But I'm sure he drove the black van that left the garage a few minutes later."

Don's pulse quickened. "Did you see the license plate?"

He nodded yes and kept silent.

"And? Can you tell me …"

Sadie shook her head, "he can't. He cannot read."

"Shut up Sadie," he hissed, "I can read I just forgot how to do it." Ashamed he hurried back into the building.

"I better leave, too or he will be angry with me." Sadie said and followed her big friend. At the door she turned round once more, "Colby I like Don much better than Mrs. Click-Clack. She doesn't know how to dress for the street." She vanished with a giggle.

"Agent wonderbra, Mrs. Click-Clack?" Don shook his head.

"Our new team leader is very popular as you can see," Colby smirked.

"She isn't your new team leader," Don snapped, "She's just a temporary solution with strange behavior. Apropos strange, what about Sadie Kellerman? Do you know what happened to her?"

Colby sighed, "she told me that she grew up on the street. She has two other sisters; she's the youngest and mentally challenged. Her parents hadn't enough money or will or whatever and put her away, poor girl."

"But she seemed to be happy," Don said, "and she's smitten with you."

"No one can resist Colby Granger's charm except Mrs. Click-Clack. Bet she had a charm resistant training at Quantico."

"Maybe she's even flame resistant, never heard about a burning iceberg," Don wondered.

--

Cindy was playing in the garden when a blue balloon aroused her interest. She went over to the wooden fence. A man dressed as a clown was doing some tricks. He was pulling out coins of the ear of a little boy. Then he pulled out a lollipop from behind his back and handed it to Cindy. She giggled. He gave her the blue balloon. A little note was hanging on the light blue ribbon. In sign language he told her this message was for Jessalyn. He winked at her friendly and waved her goodbye. tbc


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Jessalyn called Don when he was on his way home. Colby had promised to take care about the piece of paper. The reason was quite obvious. There was this new tech in the crime lab. Her name was Claudia Silverman, they had been working together on another case. No doubt about they felt attracted to each other.

"Eppes?"

"Agent Eppes, Don could you come to my house please. Something terrible happened and I don't know …" she started to cry.

"Jessalyn, for heaven's sake what's going on?"

She gave him a short summary but he couldn't understand much of what she said.

"Try to calm down Jessalyn I'm on my way," he said and hung up.

He made a turn to the left and speeded up the highway.

He dropped out of the car. He looked around and discovered the blue ford two cars ahead.

He rang the doorbell twice. Jessalyn's face was ashen and she trembled. She motioned him in.

"I'm so glad you came here. Please have a seat. Do you want something to drink?"

He could see that she desperately tried to regain her composure.

"I'm fine Jess, I'm fine, just sit down and tell me what happened," Don said worried.

"There was this clown and he gave Cindy this note and a balloon and a lollipop," it bubbled out of her.

Don decided to walk over to her. He sat down besides her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay I'm here. Sh, sh, everything's gonna be alright."

Suddenly heat flashed through his body, "Jess, where is Cindy?"

"She's upstairs sleeping in her bed. She's angry with me because I was shouting at her and took the balloon and the lollipop away," she sniveled.

He breathed out in relief, "do you want some water?"

She nodded and took out a hanky of the tissue box on the table. He came back with two glasses. She almost drained hers.

"Better," she said, "you must think I'm a hysterical woman." She gazed at him helplessly.

He shook his head and took her hand, "Jess you and Cindy have been through a lot in the past couple of month. Now it's time to unwind. I'm here and I'll protect you as best I can but you must tell me exactly what happened."

"Cindy was playing in the garden, like last time when you were here. A guy dressed as a clown fooled around near the fence. Cindy went over to him and watched him doing his tricks. Suddenly he turned to her and gave her these things," Jess got up and went over to the chest of drawers. She returned with the card, the balloon and the lollipop.

Carefully he took the envelope in his hand, removed the card and started to read out aloud: _A special world for you and me a special bond no one could see it wraps us up in its cocoon staying with him will be your doom._

Don turned the card but the backside was empty.

"Do you know the handwriting?" he asked her.

She shook her head, "sorry. And I don't have any clue what the hell this is all about. Up till now no one never ever got that close to Cindy."

She took a swig, her hands were still shaky.

"But what scares me the most is that he had talked to Cindy using sign language."

"He did what?" Don inquired.

She nodded a few times, "I mean this is ridiculous. Cindy is just a child. She doesn't even know what her father had done. What kinda monster he is. Why can't they leave us alone? I don't get it. What about this witness protection program do you see any chance for us? I can't go on living like that. I can't lock up Cindy all the time."

Don fumbled out his cell phone, "This blue ford in front of your house isn't enough," he said to her and dialed the number of the headquarters. Then he asked Jessalyn for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote down a number and hung up.

He then dialed again and got connected to the guy in the blue ford. He asked him if he hadn't seen the clown. The man told him that he took a short break.

"A short break, you took a short break?" Don inquired, "Guess you don't know the meaning of the word observation. I bet this was your last one. Someone will come and take over. I'm expecting a detailed report tomorrow morning."

He put his cell phone back in his jeans's pocket muttering, "Idiot," and turned to Jessalyn, "listen I called for two more observation teams. That's all I can do for the moment. But I promise to find a proper solution. Do you have a ziploc by chance so I can take the evidence with me?"

She went into the kitchen, "want some coffee, Don? I hope you don't mind if I …"

"No, I'm fine with it. And yes coffee would be great."

He turned around as he heard some tiny footsteps behind him. Little Cindy was coming down the stairs. Rubbing her eyes and yawning. She looked really sweet in her Snoopy pajama. Her eyes widened in surprise when she discovered Don on the couch. She jumped down the last three stairs and ran toward him. He got up and caught her.

"Hey how you are doing," he said.

She hugged him and gave him a big smooch in his cheek. Then she made the gesture for "friend" and "I like you". He tried it, too and she giggled.

Don took her to the couch and started tickling her. Her giggling got louder.

"What the hell …" Jess came in with a tray with coffee and cookies on it. Her eyes were full of joy. She just stood there in silence and watched Don and Cindy fooling around. She felt a lump in her throat. She put the tray on the table and drew Cindy's attention to her.

She told her to be careful with Don and what'd she prefer: hot chocolate or milk. She wanted milk.

They sat together around the table and Cindy shoved the Cookies into her mouth one after the other.

"Would you mind if I'm asking her some questions concerning the clown?" Don said, "Not right now, later."

"No, I think its okay," Jess nibbled thoughtful at a cookie, "you know this is what Cindy needs."

Don wrinkled his forehead, "what are you talking about?"

"You, she needs someone like you. She never really had a father. And she likes you very much. You're good with children. Do you have children?"

Don almost choked and shook his head, "I've just a little brother his name is Charlie. He's five years younger than me and a math genius. He teaches at CalSci."

"Wow! That sounds interesting. Tell me more I'm curious. I bet you're a great brother."

Don grinned from ear to ear, "Nah wouldn't say so. He and I attended the same high school and graduated the same day. It wasn't easy at all. I always felt like an idiot if you know what I mean. Nowadays he's working for us in special cases and I still can't get rid of this feeling."

"Don't ask me how I feel about being the sister of a serial," she turned her head a little so that Cindy wasn't able to read her lips, "it's hard and as you can see it's getting even harder. The trial is scheduled to begin in a few weeks. The magazines dig out the old stories and the people are getting mad again," she laughed bitterly, "I hate my brother for destroying our lives. Cindy needs a father. Every child does."

"Don't look at me I'm FBI agent. I've got to get up in the middle of the night if necessary. I spent more time in my office or out on the street than at home. What about you? Isn't there a smart guy in your life…"

She raised her hands, "Jesus, Don. I'm teaching sign language at a kindergarten, I do voluntary work for the parish that we go to and then I have my little girl here," she brushed a strand of hair from Cindy's lovely face and kissed her tenderly, "not much time for romance Special Agent."

He had a spontaneous idea, "what are you doing tomorrow? I mean around lunchtime? What about a barbecue?"

She was surprised, "Honestly said I don't even have a grill."

"No problem, my brother has one," he winked at her.

Her eyes widened, "don't tell me you are going to hook me up with your brother?"

Don started to laugh, "No Jess, I won't do that to you. He's already in a relationship."

She shrugged, "it was just because you're talking about your brother and you were asking me …"

He shook his head and apologized, "Sorry I didn't intend to mislead you. Do you think Cindy would agree?"

The girls started one of those fascinating conversations using their hands and fingers. The door bell rang.

"I go," Don said and jumped up.

He put his hand on the butt of his gun and released the safety catch.

Carefully he opened the door. A female agent stood in front of him showing her badge.

"Special agent Eppes?"

He nodded briefly.

"Agent Irene Faulkner. May I come in?"

Don introduced her to Jess and Cindy. To their surprise Irene was also capable of sign language. They started a lively discussion and suddenly Don felt wasted. He told Cindy and Jess goodbye and said he'd be picking them up tomorrow around lunchtime. Then he had a short talk to Agent Faulkner and speeded her up.

His cell phone rang when he was starting the engine.

"Damned," he cursed.

It was Lt. Gary Walker, "hey Don. How you're doing? Sorry for bothering you. I know it's your free weekend. But we've a homicide at an apartment in Glendale and I'm sure you're interested in it. Some people watched a clown leaving. Ring a bell?"

"Oh no, tell me that I'm on Punk'd or that this is just a sick joke cause you're bored," Don growled.

"I'm afraid it isn't, here's the address …" tbc


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The crime scene wasn't hard to find; a bulk of police cars and uniforms were in front of the house. Don felt a slight headache when he pulled the SUV over to the other side of the street and parked behind the CSU's van. Some of the uniforms were busy by waving onlookers away. Don badged his way through the crowd and finally found himself opposite to Lt. Walker.

"Hi Gary, how are you?"

Walker furrowed his brows, "whaddayya think? First there was _only_ this loony shooting cops. Have you seen how much uniforms are out there? This thing could end up well in a massacre. And now a clown decided to kill people instead of making them happy ; a nasty thing, Don, really nasty."

Walker waved him in. Don put on his latex gloves. The kitchen and the living room were untouched. Everything was at its place. Nothing indicated a crime. But the closer they got to the sleeping room the more intense was the smell of blood.

Don had been to a hundred homicides and could radar in on a body as quick as anyone but this he wasn't really prepared for. A cold shiver ran down this spine.

"May I introduce you to Erica Widdeck, 28, secretary at Lombard & Sons?" Gary said bitterly.

The young woman wore a wedding dress. It was smeared with blood.

"Her fiancé found her, we had to carry him to hospital," he muttered.

Her once beautiful face was disfigured.

"He left a nice smile on her face, didn't he?" Gary's voice was full of anger, "we call it …"

"Chelsea grin", Don ended the sentence, "I know, a nick for the practice of cutting a victim's face from the edges of the mouth to the ears. I haven't seen it for quite a long time. It became popular in Chelsea, London and other areas of Britain, for gangs hoping to leave a message to rival gang members. Some gangs over here are still practicing it as a deterrent."

"C'mon Don, you're not going to tell me this murder was committed by a gang?!" Gary said.

Don shook his head, "I don't know anything about a _clown-gang_. Do you?"

His looks followed the splatters of blood across the wall, the furniture and the linen.

"Arterial," Don stated.

Gary nodded. Then Don's gaze halted on something his eyes encountered. Something he'd almost missed among all those splatters. It made the hair on the back of his neck stood up. A word drawn in blood: DOOM.

"Jesus Christ!" he whispered, "It was him. It was the same guy who was at Jess' house."

Gary stared at him, "what makes you so sure about that?"

He told Gary about the message that Jessalyn had received.

"I bet he planned this murder. He literally staged her on the bed, the writing on the wall. This wasn't a simple murder, he left a clue. Serials leave clues. I gotta talk to Megan. This case turns into another direction," Don ripped off his gloves, "I gotta go. Keep me updated Gary," he yelled on his way outside.

--

Megan had curled up on her couch and skimmed through the files Don had brought along with him. After he'd called her he'd stopped over at the office. Now he sat opposite to her in an armchair holding a bottle of beer in one hand while rubbing his tired eyes with the other one.

"Thank you Megan for taking your time," he said yawning and shook his head to get rid of the numb feeling.

"Want some more coffee?" she asked him flashing a smile.

Again he was yawning, "No, too much caffeine will kill me, thanks. I haven't slept much the last few days. If I start snoring just kick my shin."

Megan put some sheets on the coffee table. Don drained his bottle and lent forward.

She pointed at the sheet on the left, "this is a letter Jessalyn Ruben received at that time her brother was imprisoned."

She pointed at the other one on the right, "this letter is one of the latest she received. For me it's obvious."

She held up the right one, "this is definitely not about her brother. He doesn't even mention Anthony Ruben. It's all about Jessalyn. He's obsessed with her. She ignored him and now he's losing it. He kills to get her attention."

Don gave a loud sigh, "but he wrote "staying with him will be your doom". Who's this wacko talking about?"

"Maybe he has seen Jessalyn with another guy and now he's jealous. Does she have a boyfriend?" Megan said.

Don shook his head, "she told me that there is no one. I was the only …" he paused. "Do you think it was me who caused …"

"He's watching her for some time now. He wanted to get closer to her, to get her attention. But he failed miserably. He was boiling with rage. Every man who'd talked to her these days could've been the final trigger," Megan explained.

"But why did he kill Erica Widdeck instead of Jessalyn?" Don wanted to know.

"Right now he doesn't want to hurt her. He just wants her attention. How did the victim look like? I mean apart from her injuries. Was there a similarity between her and Jessalyn?"

Don jerked his head up and looked straight into Megan's eyes, "I can't tell you. There was too much blood. Her face was totally disfigured. What are you…?"

"It's just an idea," Megan said and put the file aside. "And I agree with you that Widdeck won't be the last one."

She got up, "I make some tea, orange pekoe, wanna join me?"

He looked at her as she'd offered him some illegal drugs.

"I see", she smirked, "agent Eppes and orange pekoe jar with each other."

"It's not just orange pekoe, Megan. It's tea in general."

He took a look at his watch. It was almost eight pm.

"Where's Larry? It's Saturday evening shouldn't he be with you?" Don got curious.

"He's still at CalSci with Charlie. They're working feverishly on the sniper case and I guess they're making progress," she answered and put a big steaming cup on the coffee table before she curled up again.

"They do? So why didn't Charlie mention anything or left a message for me, then?" Don said a little offended.

"Because Jacobi gave him a call today, I guess it must have been shortly after the shooting at the store and told him to keep his mouth shut. Larry told me. I thought you knew it."

Don jumped to his feet and paced around, "why is he following her instructions? She's just an agent. I'm his brother for heaven's sake. Blood is thicker than water. I guess I'd have some serious talk to him."

"Jacobi and Charlie had been working together for the NSA they know each other," Megan said and took a sip from the cup.

"Jacobi and Charlie …" Don felt being close to a heart attack, "now I DO have to talk to him. I leave the file with you, Megan. Probably you can dig deeper. Thank you for the beer and the help."

--

He was boiling with rage when he arrived at CalSci. He pushed the door to Charlie's office open. Larry and his brother startled.

"Don, nice for … for paying us a … uhm … visit," Charlie stumbled.

His elder brother glanced at the watch, "Larry it's almost nine. Megan is alone at home. I guess you should leave now. "

Larry's jaw dropped. He and Charlie drew alarmed looks at each other. The look on Don's face spoke volumes.

"Okay Charles, I think we can finish tomorrow. Don's right I should go now. Bye." He fetched his jacket and left.

Don's jaw grinded. He clenched his hands to fists and his eyes narrowed when he said, "Now it's just the two of us. Isn't there anything you have to tell me?"

Charlie swallowed, "Don, I can explain it. It's just simple. Look at you. You're not yourself and …"

"Of course I'm not myself," Don snapped, "my own brother is cheating on me. He follows the instructions of an agent whose name isn't Eppes. Why didn't you tell me that you know her?"

"Because it wouldn't have made a difference, I knew Jacobi for three years now. She's doing a great job," Charlie shot back.

"She's doing MY job. I should be out there chasing the sniper who killed Liz and all the others," Don sucked in a breath, "I'm responsible for Liz' death. I stood next to her when it happened. I've every right to blow the …" His voice trailed off tears welled up in his eyes.

"God damned, Charlie, I thought you were my brother," he whispered.

Charlie made a helpless gesture, "I AM your brother. And I don't want you to die. They say the problem is that you lost your focus. That you've got too many things on your mind."

"Whom are you talking about?" Don croaked his throat felt like sandpaper.

Charlie shook his head, "it doesn't matter."

"So you're not going to tell me what you've found out?" Their eyes locked.

Charlie hesitated, "I can give you some information but not the details."

Don laughed bitterly, "after all those years Charlie …"

"What are you on bro a suicide mission?" Charlie ran his fingers through his curls, "Jacobi told me about the shooting at the liquor store and that Colby saved you. What if you'd been on your own? Why do you throw away your life so recklessly?"

"Don't go there Charlie," Don hissed.

They stared at each other.

"Don, we're family. I'm always there for you. But I won't help you committing suicide cause that's what it's all about. You're too yellow to pull the trigger yourself so you're begging every wacko out there to do it for you!" Charlie took in a sudden gulp of air. He was trembling and clung to the back of the chair.

Don closed his eyes briefly and swallowed. Charlie didn't know that he was right, did he?

_How low can you go, Donnie? How does it feel to hurt those who care about you? Who carry you when you need a friend? Shame on you!_ His inner voice shouted at him.

He gave Charlie a crooked smile, "greedy little bastard. You're full of surprises. I should take a bow cause you put it all in a nutshell. You know me better than I do, don't you?"

"I'm just your little brother," Charlie replied hoarsely, "why can't you just pay me and dad a visit and talk to us. You don't need to go through this all by yourself. Don't you know the door is always open for you? If you want you can even move in." He paused. "As long as you're not planning to stay longer than a few days," Charlie smirked.

Both felt relieved the storm was over at least for a while.

--

He sat alone at home in the dark. He had put his arms around his knees and rocked gently to and fro. He'd cried until his tears ran dry. Lily was gone, forever. He wasn't in the room when his father turned off the life support. He sat outside on a bench in the park unable to show an emotion. When his parents told him Lily was dead, all he could answer was, "I knew." He felt like being someone else. Now he sat there for numerous hours. They had taken everything what makes life worth living when Lily died. The memory of her would fade away. He knew sooner or later he wouldn't be able to remember her scent, her voice. He huffed out a sob. Before he became too weak he had to fulfill his destiny: he had to take the life of officer Brody. And then the last act: facing Mr. Though FBI himself, Don Eppes. tbc


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Alan's look was full of joy when he found both of his sons in the living room leading a lively discussion. He'd just arrived from Encino where he was working on a project for an old friend.

"Hello everybody," he greeted friendly.

All he got was a brief nod of Charlie in his direction and Don murmured something.

"Nice to see you, too," he sighed and took off his coat.

"Yes, I had a great day. My project is doing fine and Andrew is thinking about a partnership with me for further projects, we suggest calling us "The A-Team"," he said laughing.

No reaction.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm going outside now to drown myself in the koi pond."

Alan waited in vain for any reaction. He shook his head wondering about so much ignorance. When he passed them on his way to the kitchen, Charlie finally raised his head.

"Hi Dad, you're late. Don and I are starving. What about dinner?"

Alan stopped, turned his head and gave them a mischievous look, "you're two young healthy men. What about helping yourself?"

Charlie furrowed his brows, "dad it's Saturday. I had been at CalSci with Larry almost all day long. Don was at a crime scene, a horrible thing."

Alan shrugged, "guess what? A: I've been to Encino almost the whole day long working on a project to prevent it would become a horrible nightmare. And B: Can you please tell me when it happened that I became your personal chef? Cause I can't."

He pushed the kitchen door open and left his baffled kids behind.

Charlie swallowed and looked at Don. Before he could say a word Alan returned a bottle of beer in his hand. He looked quite satisfied went over to the telly and sat down.

"What happened to dad?" Charlie said.

"I can hear you son," came from Alan's direction, "the menu of the pizza service is on the sideboard."

Charlie took a deep breath, "what kind of pizza do you want bro?"

"Pepperoni or something like that," Don muttered and glanced over his shoulder at Alan who was watching an ice hockey match while sipping on his beer.

Don was chewing on his grin when he watched a slightly upset Charlie skimming through the menu.

"What?" the younger one hissed.

Don made a dismissive gesture, "oh, nothing. I'm fine." He almost cracked up.

The pizza arrived half an hour later. Don paid. But when he put the knife and the fork in his hand he was reminded of Erica Widdeck's disfigured face. Even when he cut into the pizza he saw the perp cutting Erica's cheeks. He made two or three bites and pushed away the plate.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked putting another piece of pizza into his mouth.

"I'm full," Don murmured.

"But you didn't even touch it," Charlie said shaking his head.

His elder brother got up, "I think I'm joining dad."

Charlie nodded briefly.

"Hey Dad," Don said and dropped into the other armchair.

Alan glanced at him, "hard day, wasn't it?"

Don took a gulp, "yep."

"You look wiped out, Donnie."

"Dad, you know how to cheer me up, thanks," he snarled.

"Wanna talk about it?" Alan offered him.

"Nope, I just came here to sit and watch TV."

--

The next day Don's cell phone rang early in the morning. He fumbled around his bedside table. Once again he hadn't slept much. This time Erica Widdeck had been haunting him and not Liz. The constant ringing echoed in his ears and drove him almost insane. Finally he managed to find his cell phone even without opening his eyes.

"Eppes," he sounded like a grizzly.

"Jesus Don, did I wake you up?" it was Jessalyn.

He answered with a growl.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to. I just have to cancel our lunch for today. Little Cindy is getting sick I think. She doesn't feel well and her temperature is rising," Jessalyn said.

At one blow he was awake and sat up straight in his bed, "shall I come? Do you need help? Did she eat something the clown gave her?"

"No, no, no. I guess she got it at the kindergarten. Few kids are sick. It's nothing serious just some cold," she calmed him.

But he wasn't really calmed, "I'll have to go to the office anyway. I'll catch up with you later if you don't mind. I'd have to ask you some more questions," he lied. He didn't want to tell her truth about the clown on the phone.

"Okay," she sounded happy, "see you later."

"Bye," he hung up and felt back onto his bed. He stared into space and gnawed at his lower lip. Charlie had told him some facts about the sniper case yesterday. The guy who did this must've been a real pro. Not just someone who did base jumping out of being bored. He ran his hand over his face. He wondered what Wright would say about the fact that his "easy going" case now turned into a serious matter. Would the AD consider him as capable or would he just call for someone else?

Two hours later Don found himself behind his desk, leaving through the file of Anthony Ruben while listening to the message Lt. Walker had left for him on his voice mail. He probably found three other victims. No clown was mentioned in connection to them. But he'd used the same modus operandi and had left clues on the wall drawn in blood, too. Walker would get back later with some results hopefully. The next guy who showed up in the office looked also worn out and tired.

"Hey Don, didn't expect you around." Colby said yawning.

"Me neither," he shot back, "but my weekend ended last night when we found a young woman staged on her bed in a wedding dress and a Chelsea grin on her face."

"Wow, a gang thing?"

"A clown thing," Don answered wearing a scowl on his face.

"What clown thing, what does that mean?" Colby wondered.

Don speeded him up.

"You can still take me up on my offer to help you. I'm really not in the mood driving Miss Jacobi," he snarled.

Don grinned, "The best thing I've heard yesterday is that Charlie and Jacobi know each other. Did you know that? Megan told me. Jacobi had even the guts to call Charlie and asked him to keep his mouth shut."

"But he didn't, did he?" Colby was curious.

"Not as much as he should I guess. He told me some very interesting details and I'd say I leave it up to you Colby. I guess we've got some leads."

"Me, too," he held up a ziplock containing the piece of paper Sadie had given to him, "I was out with Claudia last night."

Don was about to say something.

"I don't wanna hear a single word," Colby cut him short: "We were at a violin concert: Hayden's Concerto in D."

Don's jaw dropped.

"What the hell?" Colby snapped wiggling his head, "what is wrong about doing something for my social and cultural life?"

Don cracked up laughing, "Sorry Colby, but this sounds weird; can't imagine you sitting in a concert hall, dressed in a tuxedo listening to some classical music. That's more than funny that's ridiculous," he snorted.

"It isn't that funny," his friend hissed, "and I didn't wear a tuxedo stupid. The tickets were bloody expensive. I just wanted to impress Claudia. She loves classical music. But this whole idea turned out to be a fiasco. We left by the end of the first half."

Don wiped away his tears with the back of his hand still laughing, "What happened?"

"I fell asleep and snored. And Claudia was bored to death and had to deal with venomous looks. After we left she said that she's just listening to the sort of classical music played by Vanessa Mae."

"And what happened next?"

"We decided to go to Taco Bell and then drove to the lab where Claudia took a closer look at the paper," he said dryly.

Don's brain shifted back into gears, "did you find something?"

Colby nodded, "she was able to reconstruct some words." He went over to Don and put the evidence on his desk. He pointed at it, "read here. It's something about a chemo and other medical stuff. Probably our perp deals with health problems or at least someone who's close to him. Also here's the fragment of a name Finch, Binch, Lynch. I dunno. But I'll check it."

Don nodded appreciative, "Excellent work! And now just tell me what else happened in the lab last night?"

"You know what?" Colby replied a broad grin on his face, "whatever happened in the lab STAYS in the lab." tbc


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Colby rubbed his tired eyes and yawned, "Sorry, but I've a lack of sleep."

"You're a lucky guy. You know that? At least the woman of your desire hasn't the leading role in any of your nightmares. Not yet. Who knows what follows?" Don curled his lips into a smug grin, "don't you wanna tell me what happened in the lab last night?"

"Geez Don, stop bothering me. I never should've mentioned it," Colby snarled.

"Then explain to me why you chose the crime lab out of all things? Both of you own an apartment as far as I know. Did you light the Bunsen burner for a romantic touch?" Don almost cracked up.

Colby started to grin and shook his head, "Why don't you open a window and jump out of it?"

"Because you can't open a window in this damned building," Don shot back, "c'mon, I'm curious."

"Some people do it in a changing room, some people do it on a plane, some do it in a crime lab and I even heard of people who do it in a morgue," Colby smirked.

Don's surprised look spoke volumes.

Colby raised his hands, "Man, I never did it in a morgue. I swear, I only heard about such kinky stuff. Are you done?"

Suddenly Don was bustling around. The computer spat out some data: an address in Downtown. The name of a doctor: Jason Binch, head of oncology. Don wrote address and telephone number down. Then he took the receiver and dialed the number. It rang twice than the answering machine picked up. Don rang off.

"We'll talk to this guy tomorrow," he said.

"You mean I do," Colby snapped, "if Jacobi finds out what WE are doing here she won't be happy at all. You should know when to back off. I'll keep you informed. You know you can count on me."

Nervously Don rubbed his palms on his jeans, "I gotta talk to Wright, Colby. I have to inform him about the developments in the Ruben case and I tell him what we found out in the sniper case after you have spoken with Binch."

"This won't be a good idea. Jacobi will kill you, no doubt about that. Although she's hardly making progress it's her case."

"Just because she's hardly making progress I have to talk to Wright. I'm sure I could handle both cases easily."

"What did you have for breakfast, a cup of megalomania?" Colby muttered, "Leave her alone. I talk to her."

"Did you become a "women whisperer" over night?" Don shook his head, "I thought you don't like her."

"All I want is to protect you to do something you would regret sooner or later," Colby pointed out, "Wright told you to stay out of her way, didn't he?"

Don got up, "yeah, he did. But I can't just sit and wait until Jacobi thinks it's time for some action. You and I are sitting here for several hours and where is she? Probably she's at home on her couch watching Jeopardy or whatever or she's at the beach. I hope she's getting sunburned." Full of anger he kicked a chair.

"Okay, I think it's time to leave," Colby said ignoring Don's outburst, "I need some sleep. See you tomorrow."

He took his jacket from the desk and walked toward the exit.

"Thanks for your help," Don hollered out. Colby raised his hand without turning around and waved him goodbye.

Don glanced at his watch. He was aimless and not really sure what to do next. He decided to go to the kitchen and helped himself with some coffee. The ringing of his cell phone startled him. The coffee splattered all over his Sweatshirt.

"Great!" he hissed and looked at the display. It was Gary.

"Hey Don, where are you? We must talk and I think you won't like what I've to say. Our self-proclaimed plastic surgeon is a real sonofabitch. We've found another victim during our research."

"So that makes five including Erica Widdeck," he muttered while he was trying to clean his sweatshirt with a kitchen towel. A dead issue. "Listen Gary, we can meet at my apartment, I need to get changed."

"Are you still in your pajamas?" his friend smirked.

"No, I just poured a cup of coffee over my shirt because you decided to choose the wrong moment. I'm at the office now but I'll be home in about fifteen minutes. You know the address?"

"What stupid question. I'm a Lieutenant. I know how to find people," he barked and hung up.

Don stepped out of the shower when the front door buzzer rang. He put a towel around his hips. This was the second time around he opened the door only wearing a towel. Hopefully the neighbors weren't watching. What were they thinking? What were they thinking anyway? There were only male visitors knocking on his door. He shrugged and opened.

"Wow," Gary was definitely surprised, "if you told me I'd have brought along my towel, too."

"Come in, there's a draft. And you can have one of mine," Don said, "Have a seat I'm back in a minute."

Gary nodded and looked around, "nice apartment. After my second divorce I lived in a similar one for a while. But my neighborhood was much worse. Every time I came home from work, wearing my uniform, all people disappeared in their apartments. Like cockroaches do when you turn on the light."

Don showed up wearing a black t-shirt and light blue jeans.

"So you can choose: either it was the radiance of your attractive appearance or you scared the hell out of them."

Gary laughed out loud, "what about some scotch?"

"It's four in the afternoon."

"I didn't know that there's a direction of time for drinking scotch?"

"Okay, okay," Don said and put two glasses and a half empty bottle of Single Malt on the coffee table.

"Where is the ice?" Gary said waving with his glass.

"In the fridge?" Don growled and got up.

"Now I know why you've been divorced three times," he muttered by pouring the golden liquid over the crackling ice cubes.

They clinked glasses.

Gary put the file he had brought along on the coffee table.

He pulled out the photographs of the victims and handed them over to Don, "nothings for a family picnic on Sunday," Gary stated.

Don nodded agreeing.

"Megan was right," he tossed them back on the table. "All of them look similar to Jessalyn Ruben. Jesus, this freak is after her and nobody took notice. Why Gary, why didn't anyone else suspect a serial murder? I don't get it."

Gary took a swig, "he killed them once in a while in different states all across country. He took his time literally while committing the crime itself and also between the killings. We found out that he uses pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes voluntary muscles, but leaves the victim fully conscious and able to experience pain."

Don swallowed, "you mean they were alive when he did this," he pointed at the photograph of victim number three.

"Yes, they were," Gary said hoarsely and refilled his empty glass, "and they felt every single cut even the last one. With every breath you inhale your own blood. You move your lips but you can't produce words. There's only the gurgling in your airway. You realize you're going to die. Your eyes widened as you're glimpsing the darkness."

The ice rattled in his glass when he took another sip. Don met Gary's gaze.

"You were there when it happened? To whom?" he asked his friend.

Garry nodded slowly, "my partner Fred. We were on patrol when we were called to a domestic quarrel. A husband, a barber, had killed his wife with a razor. When we arrived he just sat there crying his eyes out, wailing it was an accident he didn't want to hurt her. Fred was talking to the guy trying to calm him. All of a sudden this bastard swung his razor and slashed Fred's throat. I pulled my gun and fired. I think I emptied my magazine into him." Gary ran his hand over his face, "but I couldn't help Fred. I watched him dying."

Don swallowed several times. The lump in his throat wouldn't go away, he knew. Tears welled up in his eyes. He blinked them back as good as he could.

"We must get him Gary," Don shuddered, "it gives me the creeps just thinking about him."

Gary pulled out more photographs, "Can you handle it? This sicko had left some scribble on the wall. He somehow reminds me on Hermann Nitsch. Ever heard of him?"

Don shook his head watching the photographs.

"He's called an "actionist" or a performance artist. He is associated with the Vienna Actionists, and like them conceived his art outside traditional categories of genre. He uses also blood for his abstract splatter paintings. Unlike our sicko he uses the blood of animals."

Don looked up, "I had no idea you're interested in art,"

"Oh, I learned about him few years ago. I was on duty when we were called to one of his exhibitions."

Don emptied his glass at one gulp. The liquid burned down his throat, "nice writing." He nodded grimfaced toward the photographs. "But it doesn't make any sense. I can't stop. The devil is watching. Darkness. Fear. Doom. What is it? A yell for help?" he shook his head.

"I'm sure I could help him," Gary nodded, "I could empty another magazine." He took another refill and raised his glass, "cheers."

Don glanced at his watch, "Just one minute Gary." He got up, left the room and fumbled for his cell phone in his jacket . He'd Jessalyn on speed dial. It rang a dozen times but nobody answered. He tried again. Nothing. Maybe she was busy with little Cindy, he tried to calm himself. Thirty minutes later he and Gary were on their way to Jessalyn's house. tbc


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Don and Gary interviewed the agents in front of Jessalyn's house without any results. Neither Jessalyn nor Cindy nor Agent Faulkner had left the house. Don knocked at the entrance door and rang the doorbell twice. Nobody answered. Gary came back from the backyard shaking his head. Don's heart pounded in his chest like a taiko drum. He decided to kick the door open. After the second kick it swung open. Followed by Gary and two other agents he hurried inside. They didn't believe their eyes when they entered the living room. The walls were smeared with …. I'M YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!

"Don't tell me this is blood," Don said giving Gary a pleading look.

Gary shook his head, "its paint."

"Thank you," Don whispered.

They turned the apartment upside down. There was no trace of Jessalyn or Faulkner. One of the agents was upstairs when Don heard him calling his name.

He was in Cindy's room. The little girl lay in her bed. Her body was covered in sweat. Don tried to wake her up but she showed no response.

"What's the matter?" Gary wanted to know peering over Don's shoulder.

"Cindy, she's in a bad condition," he fumbled for his cell phone and ordered an ambulance. "She needs immediate medical treatment her temperature is abnormally high. Could be related to a toxic substance."

He gently brushed a curl off her face, "everything is going to be alright sweetheart. What has this bastard done to you? Where's the damned ambulance?" he snapped and met Gary's gaze, "anything else?"

"Except the nice paintings in the living room?" he shook his head, "I wonder how he could manage to vanish right in front of your eyes?" he said and watched the two other agents closely.

"Maybe he was using the backdoor," one of them said making a helpless gesture.

"Are you trying to say that there was no one in the backyard keeping an eye …" Don hissed.

"Agent Faulkner told us there was no use for it. She was in the house anyway," the other one explained.

Don was about to say something when he heard the horn of the ambulance blaring. He lifted little Cindy up and carried her down the stairs. Three minutes later she was rushed to the hospital. Don wanted nothing more than to be with her but first he wanted to check the house. Gary told him the CSU was also informed and would arrive any minute.

"Why didn't he take the kid?" Don muttered.

"She would've been a burden for him," Gary said, "Jessalyn is all he wants. There's no room for a kid in his sick mind. Whatever he's up for I don't think he'd kill Jessalyn now."

"No, first he's going to torture her and then," he paused. A black trash bag next to the kitchen counter aroused his interest. He knelt down to take a closer look. His eyes widened in horror when he discovered the content. He pulled out a wig and the clothing of agent Irene Faulkner.

"Oh no!" he gasped and turned to Gary, "I let the devil into Jessalyn's house."

Gary snarled, "Don't tell me you don't know the difference between a guy and a girl. This is ridiculous. You were talking to her … him …" He started swearing like a sailor.

"Gary I did talk to a woman. No doubt about that," a cold shiver ran down Don's spine when he remembered his meeting with the fake agent, "she was using sign language. Damned why didn't I get that earlier?"

Gary shrugged, "don't asked me," he laughed bitterly, "she just stood in front of you and you had no idea?"

"Simmons," Don yelled.

"Yes, Sir?" the young agent entered the kitchen. His look felt on the clothing on the ground, "Jesus, what has he done to …"

"Have you met agent Faulkner before? I mean except here at Jessalyn Ruben's house? Do you know her?" Don inquired.

"Sorry, Sir, this was the first time I saw her. I thought you're familiar with her. What is this all about?" he nodded toward the trash bag. The next thing Don held in his hand was a badge.

"You can buy this crap almost on every corner," Gary said.

"It's not a fake," Don drew a breath.

"This means there must be another body we haven't discovered yet. She played her part quite excellent. Leading us around by the nose, treating us like brain dead idiots while we were hunting a ghost." Gary shook his head. The CSU arrived. Simmons went outside and instructed them.

Don was on the phone talking to the Headquarter. Few minutes later he came up with the address of the real agent Irene Faulkner. Before they left he called the hospital. Cindy was in the ER and they were running tests on her that's all for the moment.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Don hollered out. Jacobi and his team were already on the scene waiting in front of the apartment complex.

"I can't remember I'd asked for support at least YOUR support. Are you after my job? Don't you think I'm capable …"

"I was Irene Faulkner's bridesmaid three years ago. Meanwhile she's divorced," Jacobi cut him short. "We met at Quantico and became close friends. I heard it on the radio and thought you could need some help." Her eyes were foggy, "this isn't a freaking competition Eppes," she snapped, "We're all in the same boat."

Don turned his back on her. Thing was, he still couldn't stand her. She was the enemy. No matter how hard she tried to become his "buddy". It made him sick. "We're all in the same boat," he mimicked her in silence, "bullshit!" This was ridiculous. She came to board his boat.

Don was looking for Faulkner's name. "Three flights up," Jacobi said and hurried upstairs. Don cursed inwardly and closed his eyes briefly, "this is my case," he snapped and ran after her.

Jacobi was banging on her friend's apartment door. Nobody answered. "Kick the damned door open," Don said. She hesitated. She was afraid of what was behind it.

"What are you waiting for?" he hissed, "An invitation?"

"I've a key," somebody said from behind. All heads turned round. An old man stood there, scared to death, "here you are." With shaky fingers he handed the keys over to Megan.

Faulkner wasn't in her apartment. There wasn't a single trace of her. The mail piled up on the floor. The bed was untouched. David went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. A bad odor was coming out of it. He winced and closed it again. Colby was watching him and chewed back a smile.

Don was looking for the neighbor. The little ole man was standing outside the apartment.

"Mister?" asked Don.

"Hawthorne. Abraham Hawthorne," he cleared his throat.

"Mister Hawthorne, when was the last time you've seen agent Faulkner?"

He wrinkled his forehead, "I guess it must've been last week."

"Did you hear anything or did you notice strangers?" Don inquired.

Other neighbors were peering out around their doors. Don showed his badge.

"Any of y'all seen anything?" he hollered out.

He knew they weren't there to help. Like any small community, thrived on gossip and the major part of them fed the supply line. They shook their heads and shut their doors.

"Bubbleheads," Don thought. "Thanks for your help," he said out loud and then turned back to Hawthorne, "anything could be helpful."

The old man shook his head slowly, "I'm sorry Sir I can't help you." He scuffled back to his apartment.

Back on the street Don stated, "We won't find anything in here."

Jacobi nodded, "We're looking for her car now. But it's like looking for a needle in a haystack." She took a deep breath and locked eyes with Don, "I know she's dead."

Don looked to the ground and swallowed. While Gary and the rest of the team left, Don and Jacobi stayed until the lab teams had come and gone. Finally they ended up in the office; it was about two in the morning.

"Funny, we don't seem to have a private life," she tried to start a conversation and put a mug of coffee in front of Don, "I think we should bury the hatchet, shouldn't we?" she gave him a weak smile.

Don pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't know if it would be a good idea to team up with the enemy."

"So that's what I am "the enemy". I already told you I wasn't my idea …"

"I think it's far too early or too late to talk about it now." Don glanced at his watch, "I should try to catch some sleep and so should you." He took a last sip from the cup and got up.

12345678910

Officer Colin Brody responded to the call he heard. He and his partner Robert Cain were only few blocks away. "You really wanna take it?" Cain said annoyed, "our shift is almost over." "C'mon, I thought nobody is waiting for you, anyway." "Nobody except a six pack and the newsletter", he muttered. "How thrilling," Brody smirked. Cain shrugged. They hit the siren and in less than a minute they pulled up in front of the house.

He sat on the rooftop looking through his rifle scope. His heart hammered in his chest. The time had come to take revenge. tbc


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

A loud ringing jarred Don out of sleep. He fumbled for the phone and nailed it on the third ring.

"Agent Eppes, its Jacobi. Sorry for disturbing you but I thought you might be interested. Another cop was killed. Same MO except one thing: He was on patrol with a colleague. But the sniper fired only once. The bullet hit officer Brody right into the head. Officer Cain thought his time had come cause there was no cover but nothing happened."

Don frowned, "this is quite odd. Maybe he was disturbed or had troubles with his rifle."

Jacobi sighed, "I don't think so. Up to now he was well organized and precisely why should he change his behavior all of a sudden?"

"I've no clue," Don croaked, his throat felt like sandpaper, "but Colby is talking to this doctor today. Hopefully we'll get some leads."

"Yeah. What about Cindy?" Jacobi changed the subject.

"I talked to the doctor in charge and he told me that her bloodwork showed traces of staphylococcal enterotoxin B."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means she got a severe staph infection. Like four other kids of her group. It's contagious and serious but she will recover soon", he exhaled.

"So Jessalyn's kidnapper …"

"… had nothing to do with it," Don ended the sentence, "like you said, the sick kid was a burden for him … her. So she left her behind."

The line went quiet for a moment.

"Okay Eppes. I think you can take another nap before heading to the office. I stay at the crime scene," she said slightly embittered.

"Where are you? I can …"

"No. The AD is here. I bet he tear you into pieces if you show up."

"And I bet he tear you into pieces either if he finds out you called me," he said with a smile.

"I can handle it. Remember, I'm not the enemy, Eppes. See you later." She hung up.

Don felt back onto his pillow and stared into space. Time was ticking away. Too many people had died in the past weeks. He hoped Colby's talk to the doctor would give them a lead. Pictures of Liz, Jess and little Cindy crossed his mind. They were smiling at him, reaching out for him when suddenly everything was covered by a red curtain of blood. He jumped out of his bed and headed to the toilet to throw up. His life was going down the drain if he let it happen. He flushed and went over to the sink, turned on the cold water faucet and splashed some water on his face. He hardly recognized his reflection in the mirror. It looked strange. He watched himself opening his mouth for a silent scream. He was about losing control he saw his life in the mirror. But the life he knew was irrevocably broken and through the cracks he could see the darkness inside and the problem was he couldn't tell on which side of the mirror he was on.

He felt miserable when he pulled up his car in front of the parking lot of the clinic three hours later. He had been driving around aimlessly before. He showed the nurse on the counter his badge and asked for Cindy's room number. A cop from the LAPD sat beside the door to her room.

Don knew him and greeted him friendly, "good morning Collins. Everything's okay?"

Collins nodded, "nobody tried to harm the little Lady."

Don opened the door cautiously. The monitor was the only dim light in there. He was beeping regularly. Don was no doctor but Cindy's vital functions seemed stable. At least this was what the doctor had told him earlier. He stepped next to her bed and lent over the rail, her tanned skin contrasting with the white sheets. She smelled sweet like vanilla pudding, Don thought. With her long lashes and the cupid's-bow mouth she looked like an angel. Night sweats had made her damp curls into tight ringlets against her head. He stood there for a while, watching her regular breathings and calmed down slowly.

"I promise, I do all I can to bring Jessalyn back, darling," he whispered with a choked voice, caressing her cheek.

She gave a silent sigh while a lonely tear ran down Don's face. He wiped it away with the side of his hand before he left.

Back in his car he opened the glove box and took a look at his pager. Colby had tried to call him two-times.

"It better be good news," Don grumbled into the phone.

"First our doctor wasn't very cooperative, but when I told him he could be guilty of being accessory to murder he changed his mind," Colby smirked, "he spit out the name and address of a patient. I informed Jacobi and she cross checked the name. Guess what? Brody was involved in a fatal car crash with the guy's sister. Jacobi's currently working on a search warrant for this guy's home."

Don felt relieved, a little, "where are you now?"

"I'm in the office, doing some research on this bastard," Colby sounded jumpy.

"I'm on my way, see ya," Don cut the line and chased his car down the street.

Colby's enthusiasm was all gone when Don arrived twenty minutes later. He could read in his friend's face like in a book. Also the rest of his team didn't look happy at all.

Before Colby could answer, Jacobi showed up.

"We've got a big problem. Our suspect is Pierce Williams, the son of Aaron Williams a member of the Supreme Court. All I did in the past hour was running against walls," Jacobi told Don bluntly.

"But he's a damned cop-killer," Don hissed.

Jacobi drove her hand over her beautiful face, "I know. We must figure out something else."

"And that is?" Colby snapped, "Kick this bastard from the top of a roof without his parachute before he kills another cop?"

"Listen, nobody said it would be easy to take him down. And for the moment he's just another suspect," Jacobi said trying not to lose her temper.

Colby shook his head, "Williams has done parachute training before he got sick. I've talked to Sadie and her friends, they recognized him. He's our base-jumping cop-killer no doubt about that.

Jacobi shook her head, "I'm sorry. But Sadie and her friends are homeless people nobody would believe them. We can't use them as witnesses."

"Probably we wait until the cancer kills him off", Don said, "how long does he have to live, anyway?"

"You can't be serious," Colby jumped to his feet.

"I'm sorry Colb, I'm just tired and worn out. It was just some grim sense of humor that came out of my mouth," Don swallowed.

Jacobi sat down on the edge of the table and gave a loud sigh, "unfortunately Don's idea isn't that bad. What do you think the people would say if we're harassing an innocent man while he's dying? Keeping him locked away without any genuine evidence?"

"Just a moment, if we get this search warrant we find something for sure, I mean …"

"Colb, his father is a member of the Supreme Court. I'm sure he would do all he can to protect his son and he can do a lot," Don cut his friend short.

Silence spread around the room. It was the annoying ringing of Don's cell phone that brought the team back to reality. tbc


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Twenty minutes earlier somewhere in LA_

"You are mine Jessalyn, YOU ARE MINE," the woman formerly known as Irene Faulkner yelled at her. "Stop asking about the kid, I bet agent Eppes had taken care of her and if not … Bad luck. Don't you understand I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you?"

Jessalyn couldn't believe her ears; she shook her head again and again. The woman gave her the creeps.

"This is ridiculous, you're a sick person with a twisted mind," she snapped. "Did you forget you put a gun in my face and forced me into your car?"

"I had to. You don't know what's good for you. But I do. I can give you all you've ever wanted," the other woman insisted.

"Do you think I'd really become part of your sick game?" Jessalyn hissed.

"Game? This isn't a game honey. This is the real life. From the first moment I saw you …"

"Shut up. I won't listen to you any longer. Let me make just one call. I want to know how Cindy is doing."

"Sorry. You should stop thinking about her. It's a waste of time. She's just a kid. You'll learn to love me. Believe me. You're special …"

Jessalyn glared at her. She had to get out of this basement, now! She made one step further.

"Stop!" Irene got in her way.

"If you really love me why can't I simply go upstairs? I'm your prisoner, right?" Jessalyn hissed.

Irene got nervous, "only for the moment. As long as you're not sure …"

"Sure? About what? C'mon. You can lock me up in here til the end of all days and I won't change my mind. Screw you!"

As Jessalyn turned to run, Irene took out a knife.

"No, if I can't have you no one else does. I'm sorry but you made me do this."

"Help!" Jessalyn screamed knowing how worthless it was to waste her breath but then Irene hit her hard.

She was shocked how fast Irene had moved and how strong she was. With all of her strength Jessalyn somehow managed to ran up the stairs. She stumbled. Irene lashed out and cut her lower leg. The pain was awful but she had to move forward. She reached the anteroom and was almost at the door when Irene picked her up by her hairs, threw her into the kitchen and shut the door.

"This is all your fault," Irene's voice didn't even sound human. She was completely out of control, "you made me do this. You destroyed the plans I'd made for us. All the other girls I've killed were presents for you. All the letters I sent. These had been love letters. But you've been too blind to see it. Instead you hung around with this fed."

Jessalyn crawled away from her. But she could see there was nowhere for her to go. The leg was bleeding and there was a trail of blood on the kitchen floor.

Slowly Jessalyn got back on her feet. She knew she was lucky. Irene seemed to struggle with herself.

"What's the matter? Why don't you just kill me?" Jessalyn was playing for time. Next to her was a knife block. All she had to do was to get one step further. So she kept on talking to Irene.

"Your plans were destined to fail from the very beginning Irene."

"My name is Andrea, not Irene, call me Andrea."

"Whatever. You never had a chance. Sooner or later they would've come after you. The perfect murder doesn't exist. I don't know what you've been through Andrea but you can't force someone to love you. That's not possible."

Tears welled up in Andrea's eyes, "I should've known better, shouldn't I? If you don't love me than can't we just become friends?" she sobbed and lowered her hand.

"Now or never!" Jessalyn told herself. Later she couldn't tell exactly how she did it. All she knew was she spun Andrea around, shoved her back against the fridge and plunged a knife deep into her chest. Andrea stiffened in shock. Tiny, gurgling, choking sounds escaped from her chest. Her eyes bulged in disbelief. Jessalyn stepped back and the woman's body crumpled on the floor.

Suddenly she heard the noise of her blood in her ears. Her head was spinning. Her stomach turned upside down and she threw up into the sink. She turned on the faucet. The cold water helped her just a little. Then she got down on her knees. With shaky, sticky fingers she searched Andrea's body for the cell phone. Her first call was Don.

"Eppes?"

Talking like a machine gun she told him what happened and that she had no clue where she was.

Don calmed her and asked her to stay on the phone so they were able to trace the signal.

It led them to a shabby house in the Valley. Don's heart rate zoomed as he saw all the blood on the floor and found Jessalyn crouched in a corner of the kitchen.

"Don!" Jessalyn yelled and wanted to get up. He rushed to her and took her into his arms.

"It's over Jess, it's over."

He took a closer look at her and examined her briefly. He discovered the wound on her leg and called for help.

"She left me no choice, Don. She was totally out of her mind." Jessalyn sobbed and pressed her body against Don's.

"I know Jess, I know," he rocked her gently and brushed the hair away from her beautiful face, "everything's gonna be alright. Don't worry."

"Excuse me, Sir. Could you step aside, please?" one of the paramedics asked him.

When he withdrew from Jessalyn she gave him a pleading look, "please Don don't leave. Don't leave me alone." She held his hand tight.

"I won't, Jess. They take you to the hospital. I follow later, promised. You'll get to see Cindy there. The doctor's told me she's getting better. It's over Jess and soon you and Cindy can get back to normal."

It was hard for her to let him go and when he turned around once more she mouthed, "THANK YOU."

He nodded briefly and turned to Colby.

"Jessalyn did quite a good job. She plunged the knife right into the woman's heart."

"She was lucky not being killed by this lunatic," Don stated.

Colby nodded while watching the members of the CSU doing their job. Someone rolled in a gurney with a body bag on it.

David joined them. He held a driver's license in his hand.

"Her real name was Andrea Kaufman. She's a member of the famous Kaufman family, circus artists."

"This is the reason why she could murder all across country and why we didn't find a trace. Guess the circus is now in town, isn't it?" Don supposed.

"You're right. We already informed her parents," David said.

"I know why I don't like clowns," Colby muttered.

"Unfortunately Andrea Kaufman wasn't the only one on our list. This cop killer is still out there somewhere. Where is Jacobi?" asked Don.

David glanced at his watch, "right now she should have an appointment with our suspect's father." tbc


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Don and Megan were back at the office. Jess was in the hospital, finally reunited with little Cindy. It was a touching moment when the kid opened the eyes and discovered Jess. They hugged and kissed. Don told both that they'd be safe now but whenever they need something, no matter what, Jess should give him a call. He left the hospital with a blunt, uneasy feeling. "His" case was closed. _Andrea Kaufman got what she deserved_, he thought. He should be happy but he wasn't. Liz' killer was still out there. They knew his name and his address. That wasn't mere chance. Pierce Williams was the one they were looking for but all they had was a bunch of loose ends. He skimmed through his e-mails. Megan studied the file of the cop-killer case waiting for Jacobi's return.

She joined them about two hours later. Don had his third coffee this morning, Megan took another ibuprofen, the headache was killing her and Colby and David where still out on the street canvassing from door to door looking for possible witnesses. Someone who hasn't called in yet or wasn't aware he'd watched something important. Jacobi's face spoke volumes as she dropped into Colby's chair.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, "it was like talking to a sculpture at the museum of Modern Arts. Sometimes I even felt invisible. He didn't believe a single word. He completely denied it."

"Of course he wouldn't believe you, would you?" Don growled, "What have you expected? That he would welcome you with arms wide open? That he would say thank you and tell you: go get the bastard?"

"Don!" Megan interfered, "it's enough. I think she already knows what you mean. There's no need being bitchy. It's not her fault."

Jacobi dragged herself to her feet, "Thank you agent Reeves but I can talk for myself. I'll get me some coffee. Anyone else …?"

Don lifted his cup, "nope."

Megan shook her head.

Don's mouth curved into a smile while he was chewing on the stirrer.

"What's so funny?" Megan hissed.

"She thought she's almighty but Williams put her in her place. She's not FBI's wonder woman."

"And you're no superhero, Eppes."

He winced, almost swallowed the stirrer.

"And this is no damned competition," Megan felt obliged to say. "Bury the hatchet and behave like grownups, both of you!" Marching outside she hollered, "I need some fresh air."

Don and Jacobi looked crestfallen. They knew Megan was right.

"I'm sorry," Jacobi said.

"No, I am. Liz meant a lot to me. It's not my thing sitting here twiddling my thumbs while you guys are out there on the hunt." He drew a breath and tossed the empty cup into the bin.

Because the coffee was steaming hot Jacobi took a careful sip and peered over the cup's rim at Don.

"You must have really loved her, haven't you?" she asked him while putting the cup back on the table.

He barked a laugh, "what shall I say? Yes I did. I thought me and her … it could work … you know ... for the rest of our lives … but …" he swallowed hard.

"I was married twice," she said, "one of the guys cheated on me. No wonder he felt lonely. I spent more time at the office than at home. I was so focused on my career."

She took another sip and crinkled her nose.

Don looked her straight into the eyes, "and the other one?"

"The other one …" she sighed, "one day I came home from work and he wasn't there. He'd gathered all his things and disappeared. Like footprints in the sand after the tide. All he left was a note, "I'll always love you.""

Don narrowed his eyes, "no that's a lie. I don't believe it."

She laughed, "It's the truth, trust me."

"I'll always love you. Sounds like a soap opera. Nah, I think you're fooling me," he smirked.

"No, I don't. I've kept the note. I show it to you."

She nudged his shoulder, "stop grinning. You hurt my feelings."

His cell phone rang.

"Excuse me," Don muttered, "Eppes?!"

"Every good thing has come to an end. Don't you think so, special agent? I think I've been a bad boy and now it's time for punishment."

"Who is it?" Don barked though he knew who was on the other end of the line.

"I'm sure you know me. I'm the cop's worst nightmare and I'm giving you a chance for revenge, an exclusive chance. Don't spoil it. It's just you and me alone at dawn." The caller coughed, "and you've to hurry. Life's leaking out of me."

He told Don the address and hung up.

"Who was it?" asked Jacobi.

With a blank face Don snapped the phone closed, "you don't want to know."

She frowned.

"Believe me, you don't want to know. Everything I do from now on is just on my account. I want you to back off."

Jacobi's mind was spinning. No doubt Don had been talking to Pierce Williams. Thoughtfully she gnawed at her lower lip. He took his service gun from the top drawer of his desk, checked and holstered it.

She blocked his path and forced him to look at her, "where're you going?"

His eyes slid from hers down to the floor, "it's none of your business," he said.

She grabbed his sleeve to stop him from moving away, "you've every right to be angry and I understand that you want nothing more than ripping this bastard into pieces. But believe me when I'm telling you he isn't worth it. Let me go with you and then…"

He pulled away. Anger flashed in his eyes, "and then what? Mirandize him? Arrest him?"

"Don, do you really want to ruin your career?" she said softly.

"Leave me the hell alone Jacobi it's none of your fuckin' business," he snapped.

He could feel the heat from her body and all of a sudden she stood solid like a granite monolith, arms crossed over her chest, "I'm afraid I have to disagree. Like it or not we are partners."

His jaw clenched, "sorry, not this time." There was a pause. "Get out of my way, I've a job to do," he said flatly.

She hesitated but he was bound and determined and so she decided to let him go though she knew it was wrong.

He flicked an indefinable glance at her and darted outside.

_Like it or not we're in this together and someone has to watch your back_ was her silent addendum. tbc


	17. Chapter 17 Last Chapter

**Chapter 17**

Breathless, Colby rounded the corner to the bullpen.

"Where the hell did Don go?" he shouted at Jacobi. "I just watched his tail lights."

Jacobi's head jerked up. "I'm trying to find out," she replied through clenched teeth.

"You let him go? ALONE? Are you nuts?" Colby insisted.

"What should I do? Handcuff him to his desk?" she snapped.

"If necessary," Colby drew a breath. "David and I are almost finished with the canvassing and have come up with nothing so far. David has a few more places to check out, so I decided to come here. Now, would you please tell me what's going on?"

She glared at him before she looked back to her monitor. "He got a call," she said grimly. "He didn't tell me who it was but there was no need to. I knew it was Pierce Williams; I'm tracking Don's cell signal."

"For Christ sake! I can't sit here twiddling my thumbs. I'm following him," Colby stated and headed toward the exit.

Jacobi fetched her notebook. "Wait Colby, I'm coming with you!"

Colby grunted something. It didn't sound friendly.

-----------

Don slammed on the brakes in front of a twenty five story building. He threw his sunglasses on the passenger seat and got out. The building looked shabby and deserted. And Don knew one thing for sure: The building wasn't high enough for a base jump.

"So this is it," Don thought entering the building.

The elevator was out of service. Why wasn't he surprised? He watched his steps carefully. Debris covered the floor and it stank. What a place to die … He headed upstairs. First he took two steps at a time. But he slowed down as soon as he reached the 14th floor. He was gasping for air, his heart was hammering in his chest, and the blood was pounding in his ears. Suddenly he heard a deafening noise from below and dust filled the air. He looked down couldn't hardly recognize a thing. The dust made him cough. He waved it aside. After a while he discovered a hole where once had been stairs. The 6th or 7th floor was gone. Great! Now there was no way back. He cursed and entered the next landing.

The door to the roof was ajar. Don cocked his gun holding it with both hands and entered the roof. He winced as beneath his feet, the gravel crunched with an almost deafening sound. He put one foot in front of the other. A movement in the corner of his eye made him spinning round. It was a pigeon.

"Damned bird," he hissed. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his upper lip. Nervously he licked his lips.

"Williams!" Don hollered out. "I'm here. There's no need to play hide and seek so come on out. I'm alone. It's just the two of us."

Laughter came from behind him. He turned round, narrowed his eyes. Dawn was setting in and he was blinded by the sunlight. He rounded something what was once had been a roof; meanwhile the metal was rusty and partly rotten. He discovered Williams crouching behind it.

"Get up, you damned S.O.B.," Don yelled at him. Williams didn't move. He just lifted his head and gave him a weak grin.

"Hi, Special Agent Eppes, finally we meet," he swallowed hard. "Thank you for following my invitation. Now could you do me the favor of killing me?"

For a split second Don was stunned. He aimed at Williams, his finger pulled at the trigger slightly. Pictures flooded his mind, memories from the past. It was him and Liz from the beginning to the very bitter end. Tears burned in his eyes, he was furious.

"Why did you kill her? Why her? What did she do to you? Why Liz?"

Williams threw an angry look at Don. "You dare to ask why?"

"Stop talking, get up!"

Williams didn't move an inch. "You dare to ask why?" his voice sharp and critical. "Hah, do you really think I needed a reason to shoot that bitch next to you?"

"Get up Williams, show me your hands!" Don felt as though he was losing it. His hands were trembling.

"Shoot me Eppes, shoot me! What are you waiting for?" Williams' voice became hysterical. "Don't you have the guts to shoot me, coward?"

Don was torn, one part of him wanted nothing more than to shoot this bastard, the other part told him to stop.

Slowly Williams got up. He lent against the roof, the metal shrieked. "Maybe it's easier for you to kill me, if I'm on my own two feet. I'm dying Eppes; I'm dying, anyway. All you can do is to end it here and now. The cancer has spread. There's no cure. No one can save me. I bet I will die before the trial starts." He coughed several times, then he spit out: blood.

"You see, I'm going to meet Lilly sooner or later. I just wanted you to give you the opportunity to be the one …"

Don drew in a breath. It cost him a lot of strength not to pull the trigger for the final shot. Slowly he shook his head.

"No Williams, I'm not the coward in this loony game. You are. You called me here to end your miserable life because you don't have the guts to do it alone. That what's it all about! You need a humble servant to shoot a bullet in your head. Believe me when I say: I won't be the one. I'm not going to do you this favor." Don lowered his gun.

Williams eyes widened in disbelief. "No Eppes! No, you can't do that. You have to shoot me. I've killed the love of your live. I've killed many other cops. Good men."

"No matter what you did, I'm not going to take justice into my own hands. I'm not putting my career at stake. You're not worth it. You're just a poor soul. But you will get justice. I don't care if you're alive long enough to undergo the trial. I don't care how long you might suffer. I guess the longer the better. I'm going to make sure you're dying a slow death, in jail. Turn round and put your hands on your back, I'm going to arrest you …"

"That's not how I planned I it; that's not how I planned it," Williams yelled and threw himself against Don.

They rolled over the gravel. The edge of the roof was coming closer. Don tried to get on top. But Williams was boiling with anger; he seemed to have superhuman powers.

"Shoot me, shoot me!" he repeated again and again.

A spray of blood hit Don's face. Disgusted he turned his head aside and looked over the edge of the rooftop, twenty five stories down. Nausea caught him for a moment. Then he huffed out a breath and tried to get rid of Williams. Don had lost his gun during the fight, he couldn't see it.

Williams' face was an ugly grimace. "Kill me or I'm going to kill both of us. You can't survive a fall from this building, even with a parachute. Nobody can. You can tell them you acted in self-defense. C'mon, kill me!"

Don didn't want to give up that easily but Williams fought like a lion. Both stood now on the edge of the roof.

"Okay, Eppes! Here …"

A muffled bang, and Williams collapsed in Don's arms, his eyes wide. Somehow Don managed to get away from him. Horrified he watched Williams' lifeless body as it slipped over the edge. It took him few seconds to figure out what happened. Slowly he turned his head to the other side. And there they were, on top of the building across the street: Jacobi, Colby and a bunch of LAPD uniforms. A SWAT unit just arrived. But Jacobi was the one who held a sniper rifle in her hand.

----------

**Three days later at the FBI Field Office on Wilshire Blvd.**

Don cleared his throat. "So you're done?"

Jacobi nodded. "Looks like that. I've finished the paperwork and packed my bags, they're down in the hall. I'm ready to go back to Chicago. My boss told me there's a new case waiting for me."

"You're going to jump right into action? Seems to me you can't get enough of it," Don smirked.

She gave him a warm smile. "What can I say? I'm an adrenaline junkie. I need to be out on the streets, I need the smell of burned rubber and cordite. I love hunting the bad boys down."

Don laughed out loud. "Oh, you give me the creeps, Jacobi. Nevertheless it was an honor to work with you. Thank you for saving my life."

"I wouldn't have done it if Colby hadn't been on my side." She winked at the agent who stood next to Don. "He was the one who scared me."

Colby grinned, "Actually, this whole sniper thing was her idea. When we arrived and saw the stairs had come down and there was no other way to get to you, she was the one who … you know …" He felt his cheeks heat.

"Maybe one day we'll need some help in Chicago? I don't think we weren't such a bad team, at the end." Nervously she glanced at her watch. "Oh, I gotta go. My plane …"

"I can give you a ride to the airport," Don suggested.

She shook her head. "Thank you, a taxi is already waiting for me. Tell Megan and David goodbye, would you?"

"I will," Don said. He and Colby watched her turning on her heels. She hurried to the elevator and slipped through the closing doors.

_"Maybe I'm going to miss her just a little bit,"_ Colby thought.

"But she didn't wear high heels when she shot Williams?" Don's voice jolted him back to reality.

"No, she wore combat gear. She looked really good in it, too. It was a hell of a shot, I can tell ya."

Don frowned. "You're smitten?"

Colby's head jerked up to met his gaze. "Me? No, this is ridiculous. She's an ice berg." He twitched his shoulders. "I mean she can be nice but most of the time …"

"Stop it, Colb! You're about talking nonsense. Let us pay a visit to your other girlfriend."

"What girlfriend?"

"Sadie Kellerman. I've bought some cookies." Don took a plastic bag out of his drawer.

Colby grinned. "Are you serious? I'm the one who brings the cookies along."

Don put an arm around his colleague's shoulders and led him to the entrance. "Let me tell you: those days are over. I'm a serious competitor in the cookie business right now."

Colby pushed Don's ribs hard with his elbows.

"Ouch! Colb?"

"What?"

"Nothing …"

**THE END**


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